Alix Bailey: The Story of Louis C.K.’s Ex-Wife and Her Art Career

Alix Bailey is an American painter and visual artist known for her paintings and her former marriage to comedian Louis C.K. She has exhibited her artwork in New York and other locations. She also worked on several film projects. Alix and Louis C.K. married in 1995, divorced in 2008, and have two daughters, Kitty and Mary Louise.

Quick Facts About Alix Bailey

Alix Bailey’s Early Life

Alix Bailey was reportedly born on February 3, 1967, in Washington, D.C., United States. However, her exact birth date has not been independently confirmed.

She grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and spent part of her childhood in Italy. Both her parents were professional painters, so art was an important part of her family life.

Alix developed an interest in painting while growing up. She was familiar with artists, studios, and different painting styles from an early age.

A family photograph from 1973, discussed in an interview with The Studio Visit, shows Alix with her parents and brother Ford in Umbria, Italy.

Alix Bailey’s Parents and Brother

Alix is the daughter of American painters William Harrison Bailey and Sandra Stone.

Her father, William Bailey, was known for his figurative and still-life paintings. He studied at Yale University and later became an art professor there. His work appeared in museums in New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C.

William had a long career in painting and teaching. He died in 2020 at the age of 89.

Her mother, Sandra Stone, was also a painter. She studied at Antioch College and Yale School of Art, where she met William. Her paintings were influenced by French and Italian art.

Sandra was associated with Zeuxis, a group of artists known for still-life painting. She died in 2021 at the age of 87.

Alix also has a brother named Ford. Little public information is available about his personal life or profession.

Alix Bailey’s Education

Alix studied painting at Bennington College in Vermont. Some biographical reports state that she completed her bachelor’s degree in 1989.

She later attended Indiana University, where she earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting. Her graduation year is reported as 1993.

According to information published by The Painting Center, she also studied with painters Pat Adams and Sidney Tillim.

Her education helped her develop her skills in drawing, painting, and studying people and objects.

Her Career as a Painter

Painting is Alix Bailey’s main profession. She is known for figurative paintings, which often show people in everyday surroundings.

Her artwork includes portraits, seated figures, and indoor scenes. She frequently paints objects such as chairs, plants, curtains, rugs, and windows alongside people.

Alix began with smaller portraits and self-portraits. Over time, she started making larger paintings that included more details from the rooms around her subjects.

She often works from direct observation rather than relying only on photographs. Natural light is also an important part of her paintings.

Her work has been exhibited in New York, Connecticut, and Italy. She is associated with The Painting Center, an art organization and exhibition space in New York City.

Her Painting Style and Artistic Influences

Alix’s paintings often focus on how people, objects, and light appear together in a room.

In a 2018 interview with painter John Mitchell for The Studio Visit, she discussed how her painting style had changed.

She explained that she had moved from smaller portraits toward larger compositions. She also became more interested in how different parts of a painting relate to one another.

Her parents influenced her early experience with art. However, Alix has explained that she does not simply consider herself part of their painting tradition.

She has developed her own approach through observation, changes in composition, and the use of natural light.

Alix Bailey’s Art Exhibitions

Alix has presented her work in several professional exhibitions.

In 2012, The Painting Center exhibited her paintings and discussed her interest in moving beyond simple visual representation.

Her 2018 exhibition, Alix Bailey: Recent Paintings, included larger paintings of people in indoor settings. Some of these works were influenced by the natural light and surroundings of her Manhattan studio.

In 2021, she presented Alix Bailey: New Paintings at The Painting Center.

Art critic John Yau reviewed her work in Hyperallergic in February 2021. His article, Alix Bailey’s Unfashionable Pursuit, discussed her use of color, light, and space.

Some paintings mentioned in the review included Alannah and Jared Diptych, Alex and Umbrella Plant, and Young Group.

Alix also presented more recent paintings at The Painting Center in 2023.

In 2026, her painting Tulip was included in Fresh Cut, a group exhibition at Bookstein Projects. The exhibition ran from June 11 to July 24, 2026.

She was also listed as a juror for Blue Mountain Gallery’s 2026 Winter Juried Exhibition.

Her Work with Sandra Stone’s Paintings

In 2023, Alix curated an exhibition of her late mother’s artwork called Sandra Stone: Moving Light at The Painting Center.

The exhibition featured paintings Sandra created between 1974 and 2011.

According to exhibition information, Alix had discussed the project with her mother and received her permission before Sandra died in 2021.

The exhibition introduced visitors to different periods of Sandra’s painting career.

It also showed Alix’s involvement in organizing and presenting artwork beyond her own paintings.

Alix Bailey’s Movies and Acting Career

Alix has also worked on a small number of film projects, mostly connected to her former husband, Louis C.K.

Her first reported acting appearance was in Tomorrow Night (1998), an independent comedy written and directed by Louis C.K.

She played a character credited as a woman in a preppy couple.

In 2001, she contributed to Pootie Tang, another comedy directed by Louis C.K. Her credited work involved painting artwork used in the film’s production.

She also appeared in Searching for Nixon (2006), a short comedy project.

Some online biographies list Spooky Stakeout (2016) among her credits, but her involvement in that film has not been reliably confirmed.

Painting remained her main professional focus rather than acting.

Who Is Louis C.K.?

Louis C.K. is an American comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker. His birth name is Louis Székely, and he was born on September 12, 1967, in Washington, D.C.

He became known for his stand-up comedy and television work.

One of his best-known projects is the television series Louie, which aired from 2010 to 2015. He created, wrote, directed, and starred in the series.

He has also worked on films, including Tomorrow Night and Pootie Tang.

In 2017, Louis C.K. faced public allegations of sexual misconduct and acknowledged the reported behavior.

Alix had divorced him several years before those events became public. She has largely kept her personal views about his controversies private.

Alix Bailey and Louis C.K.’s Marriage

Alix Bailey married Louis C.K. in 1995.

According to one biographical account, the couple first met at a New Year’s Eve party in Boston when they were around 18 years old.

The same account claims that Louis jokingly proposed shortly after their first meeting. They reportedly reconnected years later through a mutual friend.

However, these details about their first meeting have not been independently verified.

The couple remained married for approximately 13 years before divorcing in 2008.

They had two daughters during their marriage.

The exact reasons for their divorce have not been reliably established. In a 2011 interview with GQ, Louis C.K. said that his former wife deserved privacy.

Alix Bailey’s Two Daughters

Alix Bailey and Louis C.K. have two daughters, Kitty Szekely and Mary Louise Szekely.

Some biographical reports give Kitty’s birth year as 2002 and Mary Louise’s as 2005.

After their parents divorced, Alix and Louis shared custody of their children.

In an interview, Alix discussed how she balanced parenting with her painting career.

She described preparing dinner for her daughters and spending time in her studio when they were staying with their father.

During those hours, she would read art books, sketch, write, work on paintings, or study her existing artwork.

Her daughters have generally remained outside the public attention surrounding their parents.

Where Is Alix Bailey Now?

As of 2026, Alix Bailey remains involved in the art community.

Her recent professional activities include participating in the Fresh Cut exhibition at Bookstein Projects and serving as a juror for Blue Mountain Gallery.

Artist biographies have connected her with Columbia County, New York, and Italy.

Earlier information on her website also mentioned New York City and Taghkanic, New York, as places where she lived and painted.

She has continued to focus on her artwork while keeping much of her personal life private.

Alix Bailey’s Net Worth

Alix Bailey’s exact net worth has not been publicly confirmed.

Some entertainment websites have estimated her wealth at around $1 million. However, this figure is not supported by verified financial records.

Her professional work includes painting, art exhibitions, and occasional film projects.

There is no reliable public information about her total earnings, artwork sales, or personal assets.

Alix Bailey’s Social Media

Alix has maintained a relatively private online presence.

A 2023 entertainment article reported that she had an Instagram account connected to her artwork, but the account was private.

Her professional work has also been featured through gallery websites, including The Painting Center.

No current public social media account has been independently verified as her official account.

Facts About Alix Bailey

• Alix Bailey is an American figurative painter and visual artist.
• Her reported date of birth is February 3, 1967.
• She grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and Italy.
• Her parents, William Bailey and Sandra Stone, were both painters.
• She has a brother named Ford.
• She studied at Bennington College and Indiana University.
• She earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting.
• She married comedian Louis C.K. in 1995 and divorced him in 2008.
• She has two daughters, Kitty and Mary Louise.
• She appeared in Tomorrow Night (1998) and Searching for Nixon (2006).
• She contributed artwork to Pootie Tang (2001).
• Her paintings have been exhibited at The Painting Center in New York.
• Art critic John Yau reviewed her paintings in 2021.
• She curated her mother’s exhibition, Sandra Stone: Moving Light, in 2023.
• Her painting Tulip was included in a 2026 exhibition at Bookstein Projects.
• Her personal net worth has not been reliably confirmed.

Read More: Kitty Szekely: Facts About Louis C.K.’s Daughter You Didn’t Know