jody klotz fine art re.e.mer.gence Women AbEx and Color Field Artists LYNNE DREXLER, ALICE BABER, BUFFIE JOHNSON & CONTEMPORARIES
re.e.mer.gence Women AbEx and Color Field Artists LYNNE DREXLER, ALICE BABER, BUFFIE JOHNSON AND CONTEMPORARIES essay by Colette Copeland SPRING 2023 jody klotz fine art [email protected] | www.jodyklotz.com | 325.670.9880 abilene | texas
MARY ABBOTT ALICE BABER JANICE BIALA ELAINE DE KOONING HELEN DEMOTT LYNNE DREXLER GRACE HARTIGAN DOROTHY HOOD BUFFIE JOHNSON EMILY MASON BETTY PARSONS JUDITH ROTHSCHILD ETHEL SCHWABACHER VIVIAN SPRINGFORD
I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER REALLY HAD A JOB. It is in the DNA of a certain kind of art dealer to be on a perpetual scavenger hunt, guided by eye, instinct, and gut to seek out and discover. This is one of the greatest joys of being a dealer. In my forty-plus years on this quest - years in Paris, NYC, and finally Texas - the landscape of the art business has dramatically transformed, however my fundamental approach has not. I remain guided by my eye and cultivated instincts for quality, informed by a general sense of the quixotic tides of the art market. I remain fascinated by how a work of art is contextualized by its historical framework. And like my beloved retriever chasing a scent, I have difficulty resting until I have unearthed what I was seeking. I am a happy scent dog: an old-world art dealer. The title of this exhibition, Reemergence, is a double entendre; it is a nod to my modus operandi and the many paintings that I have brought to light with the accompanying thrill of plucking overlooked treasures from obscurity in far-flung dusty attics or provincial auction houses across the globe. I have recognized their value when few did, as they rested disguised by their poor condition -- filthy dirty here, a torn canvas there, requiring as we all do, care and love to bloom again. Through my hands, I have placed such discoveries in collections as illustrious as the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. There are many great tales of this kind to tell one day. At the same time, the title also refers to the women artists in this exhibition who are gradually assuming a more rightful place in the public’s awareness. They are, by inclusion, literally and figuratively “re-emerging”. The jarring question - “WHO is this artist and WHY have I never heard of her?” - has been the catalyst for many of these acquisitions and my sparks of interest. At other times, operating on little more than an instinct that she was highly undervalued, I was driven to accumulate enough work to mount a show, as in the case of Lynne Mapp Drexler. The series of recent exhibitions presented by Jody Klotz Fine Art reflects the natural evolution of the gallery’s identity and it’s commitment to elevating the profile of women artists: European and American Women Post-War Artists; a pivotal Lynne Drexler show just prior to the astronomical ascent of her market; and an exhibition of Sally and March Avery which contributed to their work becoming highly collected. These successes have encouraged us to champion the work of Buffie Johnson, Alice Baber, and others in this new show. Some of the women in Reemergence have taken flight, while others are just now emerging from obscurity. It is our hope that we will continue to play a role in championing their rediscovery - happy scent chasers digging up yet another treasured bone…or two. JODY KLOTZ JOSHUA WRIGHT
Re.e.mer.gence written by Colette Copeland When Jody Klotz first asked me to write this essay, I confess to feeling overwhelmed. Neither Modernism nor more specifically Abstract Expressionism (AbEx) are my areas of expertise, as my research primarily focuses on contemporary, conceptual art. However, my visual art practice centers on issues of gendered identity and my research and writing concentrates on female artists whose work has not received the attention it deserves. Thus, I jumped at the chance to add to the scholarship of these important 14 female artists whose work leaves an indelible mark on art history. The majority of published scholarship on Abstract Expressionism emphasizes the much-celebrated male painters of the movement including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Barnett Newman, Clyfford Still and Willem de Kooning. Although female artists were actively working and exhibiting in New York at this time, history reflects the gender bias evident of the time period. In fact, up until recently, many of the female AbEx artists were erased from history or consigned to a footnote. A 2022 article in Daily Art Magazine by Errika Gerakiti separates Abstract Expressionism into two groups--action painting and color field painting.¹ I find this categorization to be problematic and reductive at best; one that prioritizes the male canon, thus perpetuating the notion that female artists’ work was not at the same level as the men’s. Action painting refers to the aggressive act of applying paint--language that is coded with traditional “machismo” connotations. In fact, Gerakiti’s article relegates the female artists in the movement to a single paragraph listing their names without any explanation of their works’ stylistic attributes. A more helpful definition comes from critic Harold Rosenberg who, although writing about the male AbEx painters, describes the formation of the movement as an “event” with the painting being a result of that event.² This aptly applies to both the men and women painters, and describes a shift in how we think about and analyze paintings of the time with the emphasis on the process or act of creating. In terms of defining AbEx for the purposes of contextualizing this essay, it is helpful to remember that this movement emerged in the U.S. (primarily in New York, but also on the West Coast) after World War II. Artists were in crisis. How does one make art in the wake of a Holocaust? European artists emigrated to New York, exposing American artists to European Modernism (Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism). New art movements historically rebel against previous traditions in art. In this case, artists shifted from representational subjects to abstraction in various degrees. Rather than subject dominant, paintings returned to formalism, emphasizing line, shape, color, and texture with a few key differences, including emotional intensity and outside references. Traditional formalism is seen as devoid of emotion and concept, since that brings the artist’s life and persona into the work; whereas AbEx artists used the visual formal elements to evoke strong emotions, reference their experiences and interests, as well as to invoke a new freedom of expression. Artists were no longer bound to certain artistic conventions. Elaine de Kooning, circa 1960 (courtesy of Georgia Museum of Art) Gerakiti, p. 5. Rose, p. 2. Also referenced in Gwen Chanzit’s introduction p.10 of Women of Abstract Expressionism publication in conjunction with 2016 Denver Art Museum Exhibition. Original article is Harold Rosenberg’s essay in ARTnews, “The American Action Painters,” December 1952, p.22-23.
A note that this exhibition is not meant to be a comprehensive survey of female AbEx art, but rather to showcase one art dealer/collector’s passion. Jody Klotz champions women’s art with a discerning eye for works that embody boldness--in technique and spirit. Reemergence features 14 artists whose work exemplifies the spirit and freedom of expression inherent in Abstract Expressionism. Although their work shares some visual characteristics and themes, each artist has their own unique vision and style. In 2016, the Denver Art Museum hosted the exhibition Women of Abstract Expressionism, that featured 12 American artists from the east and west coasts.³ The exhibit traveled to multiple institutions nationwide. The accompanying catalog significantly contributed to raising awareness and much needed scholarship about women’s contributions in the AbEx movement. In addition to the beautiful color reproductions of the 12 artists’ featured work, the catalog includes biographies of 40 female AbEx artists. The author notes that it was a difficult decision to narrow down the selection since all were notable artists.⁴ Featured here in Reemergence are four New York artists from that exhibition--Mary Abbott, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan and Ethel Schwabacher. Four additional artists from the exhibit are included in the biography section of the Women of AbEx catalog--Janice Biala, Buffie Johnson, Betty Parsons and Vivian Springford. Abbott, de Kooning, Hartigan, Schwabacher, Biala, Parsons and Springford knew one another well. Their work was exhibited in the annual exhibitions at Stable Gallery in New York. Abbott, de Kooning and Hartigan were all part of the Eighth Street Club that was a New York City meeting place for AbEx artists to discuss their work, art and life. ⁵ Mary Abbott studied with both Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko at the Subjects of the Artists experimental school in New York. This experience influenced her shift in style to abstraction.⁶ Her paintings often included mixed media such as oil stick and crayon. Her work, Untitled Landscape shows adventurous and playful use of line using the oil stick. The tropical color palette perhaps references her winter trips to Haiti and the Virgin Islands.⁷ Mary Abbott in her studio, circa 1950 (courtesy of Artnews) Elaine de Kooning is probably the best-known female AbEx artist. Her work was exhibited widely in New York and she also worked as an arts writer/editor for Art News.� Her work in the later 1950s caused controversy over her reintroduction of the figure into her canvases, causing critic Clement Greenberg to withdraw his support.� I find it rather ironic, since her husband William de Kooning did not receive the same harsh treatment, despite the plethora of figurative subjects in his paintings. The small gouache sketch Untitled, is part of her “Bullfight series.” It was inspired by a trip to Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, located just across the border from El Paso, Texas, where de Kooning witnessed bull fights.�� The work shows the artist’s defiant brush strokes, confident gestural style and dynamic intensity suggesting turmoil. One of her oil paintings from this series is featured on the cover of the Women of AbEx catalog. ³Women of Abstract Expressionism, Denver Art Museum and Yale University Press, 2016. ⁴Marter, p. 9.⁵Marter, p. 154. ⁶Marter, p. 162. ⁷Marter, p. 162. ⁸Marter, p.20. ⁹Marter, p.21. �D� enver Art Museum website.
Like de Kooning, Grace Hartigan was another prominent artist in the New York scene. In 1956, she was the only female artist to be included in the Museum of Modern Art’s Twelve Americans exhibition.¹¹ Her distinctive style is matched by her wit. When asked if a male artist ever told her she painted like a man, Hartigan responded, “Not twice.”�� “Her work often challenged the non-objective tenets of AbEx by including references to contemporary life.”�� In her Untitled, 1959 pastel work, she overlays the wash of orange and pink with gritty lines that remind me of an abstract urban street scene. Similar to de Kooning’s style, the gestures are bold and confident with the abstractions suggesting kinetic movement and tension. Ethel Schwabacher studied with Arshile Gorky from 1934-1936. The two remained close friends, providing one another with critical feedback on their respective work over the years.�� Schwabacher was influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis and explored the interior world of her unconscious with her signature AbEx style. Five works--two oil on canvas and three works on paper are included in Reemergence. The two oil paintings are from her Ode series, which was inspired by the artist’s interest in Greek myths.�� These works coincide with the death of her husband, when she turned to painting to process her grief.�� I find the color palette in Ode #I quite unusual. The artist uses a dark muted yellow to obscure the brighter colors underneath. I think of decomposing yellow autumn leaves or a hidden garden, left to rot. In Ode #III, the color palette is still earthy, but bolder. The brush strokes are larger and more confident producing the illusion of dynamic movement throughout the composition. Both works speak to transformation and the organic cycle of life and death. Janice Biala lived in Paris from 1930-1940 with writer Ford Madox Ford. Their circle of friends included many artists and writers. Biala’s brother Jack Tworkov was also a painter and part of the New York AbEx movement.�� After Ford’s death in 1939 and the start of WWII, she returned to New York and became immersed in the AbEx scene. She was one of three female artists invited to the famed 1950 Artist’s Session at Studio 35, which addressed the direction of the AbEx movement.�� Biala is quoted as saying, “ Like many of us, I was raised on the notion of ‘painterliness’-that what is most moving in painting is its painterly qualities. But when I think of the art that I love….I wonder if ‘painterliness’ is not meant to serve something beyond itself.”�� Here she questions the notion of art existing outside itself, which I interpret as a mild suggestion leaning towards content and context in art. Biala exhibited her work prolifically in both France and New York. Unlike some of her contemporaries, she incorporated influences from the Paris school, as well as the New York school. Biala’s work Cubist Portrait of a Woman from 1949, clearly shows European Cubist influences. This work shows Biala’s defiance against complete abstraction at a time when other artists completely abandoned figuration in their work. This is one of my favorite works in the show, partially because it is so different from other work of the time. In addition, Biala’s style is unlike those of other European cubist masters like Braque, Gris and Picasso, whose female figures were grotesquely distorted. Biala’s figure has a refined elegance with a sunny, hopeful palette. Grace Hartigan, 1957 (courtesy of Life Magazine) Janice Biala (courtesy of The Art Students League of New York) ��Marter, p. 180.��Failing, p.1. ��Marter, p. 180. �M� arter, p. 195. ��Marter, p.195. �J� ohnson, Walker, Webster, p.4. ��Marter, p.165. �R� ubin.��https://www.janicebiala. org/1940-to1959
Like Janice Biala, Buffie Johnson also studied in Paris in the late 1930s. She had a solo exhibition at Wakefield Gallery run by Betty Parsons and was also included in Peggy Guggenheim’s 1943 seminal Exhibition by 31 Women in New York.�� Finding the gender bias oppressive in New York, she went back to Europe in the late 1940s, where she found more opportunities available for women artists. Johnson returned in 1950 for a solo exhibition at Betty Parson’s gallery. That exhibition and her friendship with sculptor Tony Smith greatly influenced her shift towards abstraction. Reemergence features six of Johnson’s paintings--three from the 1950’s, one from 1961 (a transitional period) and two from 1975, when she returned to realism. Johnson’s style is very unique. There is a luminosity to her work, almost as if the paintings were internally illuminated. They remind me of stained glass. The works The Bridge I, 1951 and Untitled, 1953 clearly show her move to complete abstraction with organic and geometric grid-like shapes combined with strong black outlines. In 1959, Johnson was commissioned to create an abstract mural for the Astor Theater in New York. This tour-de-force work was the culmination of 224 paintings measuring over 9000 square feet. At the time, it was the largest abstract mural in the world.�� The Middle Way is one panel from the mural entitled The Great Mother Rules the Sky and stems from Johnson’s long-standing interest in Goddess imagery.�� Buffie Johnson at the Astor Theatre in Buffie Johnson, age 30, circa 1935 New York, circa 1959 (photo by Lionel Freedman, (photo by Edward Weston, courtesy of Mutual courtesy of The new Astor Theatre opening brochure) Art) Betty Parsons at her gallery in New York, Betty Parsons is best known as the gallerist responsible for circa 1960 (courtesy of Widewalls Magazine) championing the Abstract Expressionist art movement in �Marter, p. 181.�� The New Astor Theater Brochure featuring Buffie John- New York. She represented Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, son’s Mural, 1959. https://anitashapolskygallery.com/newsite/buffie-john- Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko, whom she referred to as the son/ �Marter, p. 181. ��Gotthardt, p.4.. M� artinque, p.3. M� artinque, p.5. four horsemen.�� Parsons opened her gallery in 1946 and exhibited avant-garde work that other galleries would not. She was an early champion of female artists representing Helen Frankenthaler, Louise Nevelson, Agnes Martin, as well as exhibiting many of the artists included in Reemergence.�� Parsons was also a prolific artist. She painted on the weekends in her beachfront studio on Long Island. When asked why she never exhibited her work in the gallery, she maintained that her art was just for herself.�� There are five works in the exhibition--a small acrylic AbEx painting and four sculptures. I am especially intrigued by the two painted wood sculptures, The Vase, 1972 and the Fire Tower, 1978. I read that Parsons often salvaged materials from her beach walks. Both sculptures have a whimsical use of color and a playfulness, not found in earlier work. Perhaps this is indicative of a new sense of freedom, not bound by earlier conventions of the AbEx movement.
Vivian Springford, late 1920’s - early 1930’s New York artist Vivian Springford studied at the Arts Students (courtesy of The Vivian Springford Administration) League. She started her career as a portraitist and illustrator, but her work was known and championed by artists in the New York School.�� In 1960, she had her first solo exhibition at Great Jones Gallery and another in 1963 at Preston Gallery. After that, she became a recluse. She painted in her NYC studio until she lost her vision in the 1980s.�� Springford’s work fits within the genre of color field painting, where color is the dominant element. She is known for her stain paintings, where the acrylic paint is applied to an unprimed canvas, thus causing the surface to stain.�� Her Untitled acrylic painting from the Expansionist Series 1977 is a wash of radiant colors, each liquifying into one another. Luminescent amorphous shapes reference the cosmos. In addition to galaxies and celestial forms, Springford’s work also alludes to the body on a cellular level. “Painting is my attempt to identify with the universal whole. I want to find my own small plot or pattern of energy that will express the inner me in terms of rhythmic movement and color.”�� In addition to the eight above-mentioned artists, Reemergence includes works by six additional AbEx artists- Helen DeMott, Judith Rothschild, Alice Baber, Dorothy Hood, Emily Mason and Lynne Mapp Drexler. Artist Helen DeMott was also in New York during the 1940s. Not much is published about her, except that she lived in New York City’s east village, and was a well-known painter, poet and community activist. In the 1940s she attended the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League.�� The artist’s husband Rudy Burkhardt was friends with the de Koonings, so DeMott was familiar with the AbEx group and their work. Her style is more closely aligned with Surrealism and the pictograph work of Adolf Gottlieb, who was a founding member of “The New York Artist Painters.”�� DeMott embraces the bold color palette of AbEx painters, but does not adhere to the non-objective tenets of the movement. Five works are included in Reemergence, all from the 1940s when the artist was in her twenties. The works explore themes of mythology and the unconscious. The work Icarus, 1950 represents a departure from the pictograph style. The oil on board painting depicts a footprint in the sand and a white triangular form. I interpret this as the remnants of a plane crash, a human footprint referring to Icarus, who in the myth died after flying too close to the sun. Helen DeMott with Lucia Vernarelli “Original Chelsea Girls” in New York, circa 1950 (photo by Rudy Burkhardt) M� arter, p. 198.�Gould, p.3. �https://www.artsy.net/gene/stains-slash-washes �Rockefeller, https://vivianspringford.com/cosmos-essay �⁰Helen DeMott papers, 1920-1977. ��https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/adolph-gottlieb/
Artist Judith Rothschild was a pivotal force in ensuring that abstraction was a style that did not go out of fashion. She was the President of American Abstract Artists, an editor of Leonardo Magazine and formed a co-op gallery in Provincetown with Robert Motherwell.�� She dedicated her life to promoting the arts and artists, as well as creating her own work. She served on the boards of many art institutions and colleges. Her oil painting Southwest, 1957 beautifully combines the lyricism of abstraction, cubism and color field painting, while evoking the light and color of the southwest landscape. Born a decade after many of the first generation AbEx artists, Alice Baber studied art during her childhood and teen years, receiving her MA in 1951. She then left for France studying at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. In the early 1950s, she moved to New York and was part of the Tenth Street Co-op Gallery where Elaine de Kooning was also a member.�� Baber was married to abstract painter Paul Jenkins from 1964-1970 and the couple traveled and showed their work internationally.�� The artist has seven paintings in Reemergence from 1960s and 1970s that clearly show her signature abstract style. Like Vivian Springford, Baber used the stain painting technique in her color field paintings. Both artists utilized organic forms unlike other color field painters such as Mark Rothko. Baber’s technique shifts slightly in mid 1960s. Yellow Croquet Second Wicket, 1961 shows her earlier style, where the shapes are less defined and there is more bleeding and overlap between the colors. The painting conjures the essence of summertime--a backyard lawn party with green grass and fragrant floral blooms. In Seven Wonder and Ladder Forest, 1966 the organic forms have more defined shapes with less blurring of the boundaries. The color palette is also brighter. I imagine magical worlds where colors collide within light and space. Dorothy Hood was a Texas native. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island and the Art Students League in New York. She traveled to Mexico where she was close friends with Mexican painters Jose Clemente Orozco, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. After marrying the Bolivian composer and conductor, Velasco Maidana, she spent much of the next 19 years in Mexico, but traveled widely including studying in New York in 1945.�� She returned to Texas in 1961. The Art Museum of South Texas exhibited a retrospective of Hood’s work in 2016, accompanied by a full color monograph entitled The Color of Being by curator Susie Kalil.�� Her work combines color field painting and other elements of abstraction and Surrealism. The stunning work Navajo is a large-scale diptych with a boldly colored red background and fragmented forms that perhaps reference feathers and/or the aftermath of a battle. The work invokes intense binary emotions of both hope and despair.�� Judith Rothschild (courtesy of The Dorothy Hood, Mexico City, circa 1943 Judith Rothschild Foundation) (courtesy of Texas Monthly Magazine) Alice Baber, circa 1977 (photo by Thomas Victor) �h� ttps://judithrothschildfoundation.org/about ��https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10th_Street_galleries#March_Gallery,_1957%E2%80%931962 ��https://judyferrara- gallery.com/alice-baber/ ��https://www.mcclaingallery.com/artists/dorothy-hood/biography ��Knudson, https://glasstire.com/2017/01/01/doroothy-hood-the-color-of- being-el-color-de-ser/ ��Pyne, https://hyperallergic.com/524646/doroty-hood-illuminated-earth-mcclain-gallery/
Artist Emily Mason spent over six decades painting in her signature abstract style. Her mother Alice Trumbull Mason was a founding member of American Abstract Artists Association and their president from 1959-1963.�� Mason grew up in New York in the midst of the original AbEx movement, studying art at Bennington College and Cooper Union and was awarded a Fulbright in 1956 to paint in Venice, Italy. For many years, she shared a studio with her husband Wolf Kahn, a landscape painter. In 1979, she purchased a 4700 square foot studio in Chelsea, where she worked for two decades until her death in 2000.�� Featured in Reemergence are two works, Terrestrial Power, 1982 and Annato, 2007. The title Annato references a bright orange dye obtained from a tropical fruit (also the coloring found in saffron).�� Both works exhibit the boldness and confidence inherent in Mason’s work. Her style embraces color field painting, but unlike her predecessors, the vibrant palette exudes warmth and confidence, rather than angst. I especially respond to the luminosity in the work, as well as the drips or areas that seem accidental or unfinished, yet are indeed calculated decisions. Emily Mason in Martha’s Vineyard 1966 (courtesy of The New York Times) Lynne Mapp Drexler studied with Robert Motherwell and Hans Hoffman in the 1950s. These two artists encouraged her development into what would become her mature artistic style, merging post impressionism with abstract expressionism, as well as fusing her love of color and landscape.�� Drexler was also inspired by music, often sketching at Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera while attending performances. She married artist John Hultberg and they spent summers on Monhegan Island in Maine. The Maine landscape greatly influenced her later work. Recently, her work increased dramatically in value and popularity.�� She is finally getting the recognition she deserves. Jody Klotz Fine Art has had two recent exhibitions of Drexler’s work in Summer/Fall 2021�� and in May 2022.�� Lynne Drexler, circa 1968 ( courtesy of The New York Times) In Reemergence, there are twelve paintings on exhibition ranging from early works in the 1950s and 1960s to later works in the 1980s and 1990s. One work is dated 1998, just a year before her death. An early work Blue Horse, Red Rider, 1957-1958 shows colorful bursts of intricately painted squares on the canvas, referencing an inventive map; one where the grid has been dizzyingly rearranged to create a chaotic cacophony of dynamic tension. The pictorial plane has been obliterated by a field of color. On exhibit are three works dating 1969, where we can see a shift in her style. In Sunset Sea 1969, Drexler’s brush strokes have gotten bolder and larger. She applies the paint thickly, emphasizing texture and gestural strokes. The blue color palette dominates the composition, but upon closer inspection, we see many hues of pink, lilac and purple interspersed on the canvas. Two swaths of red mark the canvas’ focal point, which I visualize as an intensely vivid sunset on the darkening sea. A later work Heated Wall, 1987 shows a shift in style away from total abstraction. Painting exclusively from Maine, Drexler’s later works still accentuate her daring use of color, but with representational elements in the composition. Heated Wall features a still life with a vase of flowers and a vibrant, patterned wall. The wall’s reds, oranges and yellows almost completely subsume the vase. Drexler also collapses the spacial plane of the canvas, creating colorful discord in the composition. �h� ttps://americanabstractartists.org/current-members/founding �C� hernick, p.2. https://hyperallergic.com/612508/emily-mason-chelsea-paintings-miles-mcenery/ �https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/annatto �� https://www.jodyklotz.com/artists/lynne-mapp-drexler �Kinsella, https://news.artnet.com/market/why-lynne-drexler-mar- ket-exploded-2177141 �� https://jodyklotz.com/exhibitions/the-art-of-lynne-mapp-drexler �https://www.jodyklotz.com/exhibitons/reprise-the-art-of-lynne-mapp-drex- ler
As I mentioned in the introduction, my writing stems from a visual artist’s perspective, rather than the viewpoint of a curator or art historian. I write not as a critic, but as a champion for the arts and artists. Thus, it was important to me to write about all of the artists in Reemergence. I strive to analyze and contextualize artists’ work with the intention of demystifying the artists’ process, while providing an entry point for the general public to access the work and its meaning. Abstraction is often difficult for many (including myself ) to interpret. Through the language of the visual formal elements, principles of design, as well as the context of the art historical, cultural, political and social movements of the time, we can appreciate these visionary artists and their significance to the canon. Reemergence means to reappear, to resurface, to rematerialize, and most importantly to become visible again. I am grateful to have the opportunity to bring awareness about these important artists, and through the exhibition and essay, bring some additional visibility to their lives and their work. Sources: “A Couple at the Center of the Center of the American Art World--Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason,” Christie’s Website, April 30, 2021. https://www.christies.com/features/Wolf-Kahn-and-Emily-Mason-artist-couple-centre-of-American- art-world-11632-3.aspx “Adolph Gottlieb,” Pace Gallery Website. https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/adolph-gottlieb/ “Alice Baber, 54, Artist of Lyrical Abstractions,” New York Times, October 7, 1982. https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/07/obituaries/alice-baber-54-artist-of-lyrical-abstractions.html “Alice Baber,” Judy Ferrara Gallery Website. https://judyferraragallery.com/alice-baber/ “American Abstract Artists,” American Abstract Artists Website, https://americanabstractartists.org/current-members/founding/ Biala. Janice Biala Website. https://www.janicebiala.org/ Bledsoe, Jane K., Elaine De Kooning. Georgia Museum of Art. 1992. “Buffie Johnson,” Anita Shapolsky Gallery, https://anitashapolskygallery.com/newsite/buffie-johnson/ “Bullfight by artist Elaine de Kooning,” Denver Art Museum website. https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/object/2012.300 Chernick, Karen, “With A Room Of Her Own, Emily Mason’s Ethereal Abstractions Bloomed,” Hyperallergic, January 11, 2021. https://hyperallergic.com/612508/emily-mason-chelsea-paintings-miles-mcenery/ Danly, Susan, “Reimagined Color: The Early Work of Lynne Drexler,” Lynne Drexler--Early Spring Exhibition Brochure, McCormick Gallery, Chicago, April 17-June5, 2010. Dorfman, John, “Symphonies of Color,” Art & Antiques, December/January 2021-2022. https://www.artandantiquesmag.com/symphonies-of-color-2/ “Dorothy Hood,” McClain Gallery Website. https://www.mcclaingallery.com/artists/dorothy-hood/biography Emily Mason, Emily Mason Studio Website, https://emilymasonstudio.com/biography Failing, Patricia, “Wrestling With Art History: Women of Abstract Expressionism at the Denver Art Museum,” Artnews, June 28, 2016. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/reviews/wrestling-with-art-history-women-of-abstract-ex- pressionism-at-the-denver-art-museum-6564/ Gabriel, Mary, Ninth Street Women, Five Painters and the Movement That Changed Modern Art. Back Bay Books, Little Brown and Company, 2018. Gabriel, Mary, “What AbEx Women Can Teach Us About Today’s Gold Rush For Female Artists,” Artsy, November 6, 2018. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-abex-women-teach-todays-gold-rush-female-artists Gerakiti, Errika, “Abstract Expressionism 101: Everything You Need To Know,” Daily Art Magazine, July 27, 2022. https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/abstract-expressionism-101/ Goodman, Wendy, “Artist Emily Mason’s 4700-Square Foot Studio Is Just As She Left It,” New York Magazine, March 1, 2021. https://www.milesmcenery.com/attachment/en/5a3bb3fed9edde023b8b4568/News/6043e4150c73b486ed2f8 Gotthardt, Alexxa, “The Women Who Built the New York Art World,” Artsy.net July 6, 2017. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-women-built-new-york-art Gould, Rachel, “Forgotten Artist Vivian Springford’s Paintings Stun in New York,” Medium, October 3, 2018. https://medium.com/@rachel.gould/paintings-by-forgotten-artist-vivian-springford-stun-in-new-york-b8624e91d492 Helen DeMott papers, 1920-1977, Smithsonian Archives of American Art, https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/helen-demott-papers-11100/biographical-note Haifley, Julie, “Oral History with Grace Hartigan,” Smithsonian Archives of American Art. May 10, 1979. Johnson, Judith E., Walker, Jayne L., Webster, Brenda S., “Ethel Schwabacher: The Lyric/Epic and the Personal,” Women’s Art Journal, Volume 10. No. 1, Spring-Summer 1989. Judith Rothschild Foundation. https://judithrothschildfoundation.org/about/ Kingsley, April, “The Primal Plants of Buffie Johnson,” Art International, Volume XXIV/5-6, January-February, 1981. http://www.aprilkingsley.com/art-intl-janfeb-1981.pdf Kinsella, Eileen, “How Canny Market Players Helped Push Obscure Painter Lynne Drexler’s Prices from Fifty Bucks to Over $1 Million,” Artnet News. December 20, 2022. https://news.artnet.com/market/why-lynne-drexler-market-ex- ploded-2177141 Lambert, Bruce, “Judith Rothschild, 71, a Painter; Began Foundation to Help Artists,” The New York Times, March 10, 1993. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/03/10/arts/judith-rothschild-71-a-painter-began-foundation-to-help-artists. html Lawrence, Vanessa, “This Chelsea Studio Was The Catalyst For An Artist’s Creative Flourishing,” Elle Décor, February 4, 2021. https://www.elledecor.com/life-culture/a35419740/artist-emily-mason-chelsea-studio/ Lynne Mapp Drexler, Jody Klotz Fine Art website. https://www.jodyklotz.com/artists/lynne-mapp-drexler Marter, Joan, Women of Abstract Expressionism. Denver Art Museum and Yale University, 2016. Martinique, Elena, “Betty Parsons, The Legendary Gallerist and Artist,” Widewalls, July 21, 2019. https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/betty-parsons-gallery-artist “Mary Abbott”, McCormick Gallery, Chicago, Modern & Contemporary Arthttps://www.thomasmccormick.com/artists/mary_abbott Mendelsohn, Meredith, “Elaine de Kooning Broke the Rules by Painting Men--and Secured Her Place in Art History,” Artsy, May 15, 2018. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-elaine-de-kooning-broke-rules-painting-men-se- cured-place-art-history Pilger, Zoe, “Betty Parsons the Painter,” Frieze, October 1, 2019. https://www.frieze.com/article/betty-parsons-painter Pyne, Lydia, “Belated Acclaim for Dorothy Hood’s Surreal Abstractions,” Hyperallergic, November 15, 2019. https://hyperallergic.com/524646/dorothy-hood-illuminated-earth-mcclain-gallery/ Ratcliff, Carter, Buffie Johnson--The Spirit of Plants, Chuck Levitan Gallery Exhibition Brochure, New York, New York, October 1997. Rose, Barbara, “The Second Generation,” Artforum International, September 1965. https://www.artforum.com/print/196507/the-second-generation-36933 Rubin, Lena, “The April 1950 Artists’ Sessions at Studio 35,” Off The Grid--Village Preservation Blog, April 21, 2021. https://www.villagepreservation.org/2021/04/21/the-april-1950-artists-sessions-at-studio-35/ Schwabacher, Ethel, “Formal Definitions and Myths In My Paintings,” Leonardo, Volume 6, pp 53-55, Pergamon Press, 1973. Scott, Chad, “ Emily Mason Connects Visitors To Height Of Abstract Expressionism In New Show At Miles McEnery Gallery,” Forbes, January 11, 2021. https://www.forbes.com/sites/chaddscott/2021/01/11/emily-mason-connects-visi- tors-to-height-of-abstract-expressionism-in-new-show-at-miles-mcenery-gallery/?sh=cdfca753c9f4 Selvin, Claire, “Mary Abbott, Postwar Painter of Beguiling Abstractions, Dead at 98,” Art News, September 10, 2019, https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/mary-abbott-dead-13206/ Smith, Roberta, “Being Young and Abstract Along With Pollock et al.,” The New York Times, December 6, 1991. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/06/arts/review-art-being-young-and-abstract-along-with-pollock-et-al.html Smith, Roberta, “Biala, 97, Whose Paintings Were Cryptic and Luscious,” New York Times, October 12, 2000. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/12/arts/biala-97-whose-paintings-were-cryptic-and-luscious.html Stains/Washes, Artsy Website. https://www.artsy.net/gene/stains-slash-washes Strickland, Carol, “ Betty Parson’s 2 Lives: She Artist, Too,” The New York Times, June 28, 1992. https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/28/nyregion/betty-parsons-s-2-lives-she-was-artist-too.html The New Astor Theater Brochure featuring Buffie Johnson’s Mural, 1959.
MARY ABBOTT AMERICAN, 1921 - 2019 UNTITLED (LANDSCAPE), circa1955- 1960 OIL STICK ON WHITE WOVEN PAPER 11 3/4 X 16 1/2 INCHES SIGNED LOWER RIGHT PROVENANCE: THE ARTISTS ESTATE, SOUTHAMPTON, NY ACQUIRED FROM THE ABOVE PRIVATE COLLECTION, NEW YORK, NY
JANICE BIALA POLISH, 1903 - 2000 CUBIST PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN, 1949 OIL ON CANVAS 21 X 1/8 X 25 1/4 INCHES SIGNED AND DATED ‘49 LOWER RIGHT
UNTITLED, circa 1958-1959 MIXED MEDIA ON ARTIST BOARD 7 1/4 X 9 1/2 INCHES SIGNED LOWER CENTER PROVENANCE: PRIVATE COLLECTION, NEW YORK, NY PRIVATE COLLECTION, SWEDEN ELAINE DE KOONING AMERICAN, 1918 - 1989
PASTEL ON PAPER 18 X 24 INCHES SIGNED LOWER RIGHT: ‘HARTIGAN’ PROVENANCE: MARTHA JACKSON GALLERY, NEW YORK, NY private collection, CLEVELAND, OH thence by decent
GRACE HARTIGAN AMERICAN, 1922 - 2008 UNTITLED,1959 PASTEL ON PAPER 18 X 24 INCHES SIGNED LOWER RIGHT PROVENANCE: BEATRICE PERRY INC., NEW YORK, NY MARTHA JACKSON GALLERY, NEW YORK, NY PRIVATE COLLECTION, CLEVELAND, OH (ACQUIRED FROM ABOVE) THENCE BY DECENT
HELEN DEMOTT AMERICAN, 1920 - 1997 DRAWING #12, 1946 TEMPERA ON PAPER 13 3/4 X 16 3/4 INCHES SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1946 ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: ESTATE OF THE ARTIST GARY SNYDER FINE ART, NEW YORK, NY
BLACK NIGHT, 1946 TEMPERA ON STRATHMORE PAPER 14 X 11 INCHES SIGNED, INSCRIBED AND DATED 1946 ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: ESTATE OF THE ARTIST GARY SNYDER FINE ART, NEW YORK, NY
HELEN DEMOTT COMPOSITION RED, 1947 AMERICAN, 1920 - 1997 OIL ON CANVAS 16 X 12 INCHES SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1947 ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: ESTATE OF THE ARTIST GARY SNYDER FINE ART, NEW YORK, NY
UNTITLED, 1948 OIL ON CANVAS 15 X 18 INCHES SIGNED AND DATED 1948 LOWER LEFT PROVENANCE: ESTATE OF THE ARTIST GARY SNYDER FINE ART, NEW YORK, NY
HELEN DEMOTT AMERICAN, 1920 - 1997 ICARUS, 1950 OIL ON ILLUSTRATION BOARD 10 X 13 INCHES SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1950 ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: ESTATE OF THE ARTIST GARY SNYDER FINE ART, NEW YORK, NY
DOROTHY HOOD AMERICAN, 1918- 2000 NAVAJO (DIPTYCH), circa 1972 OIL ON CANVAS 45 1/8 X 30 INCHES (EACH PANEL) EACH PANEL RESPECTIVELY SIGNED LOWER LEFT AND LOWER RIGHT SIGNED, TITLED (A OR B) AND INSCRIBED WITH INSTALLATION NOTES ON REVERSE OF EACH PANEL PROVENANCE: PRIVATE COLLECTION, HOUSTON, TX
JUDITH ROTHSCHILD AMERICAN, 1921 - 1993
SOUTHWEST (JFR 57.11), 1957 OIL ON CANVAS 24 X 35 7/8 INCHES INITIALED LOWER LEFT PROVENANCE: KNOEDLER & COMPANY, NEW YORK, NY THE ARTIST PRIVATE COLLECTION, NEW YORK, NY
ETHEL SCHWABACHER AMERICAN, 1903 - 1984
UNTITLED #109, 1956 GOUACHE ON PAPER 10 5/8 X 8 3/4 INCHES INITIALED UPPER LEFT NUMBERED AND DATED 12/5/56 LOWER RIGHT PROVENANCE: GARY SNYDER FINE ART, NY ESTATE OF ETHEL SCHWABACHER ANITA SHAPOLSKY GALLERY, NY
ETHEL SCHWABACHER UNTITLED #122, 1956 AMERICAN, 1903 - 1984 MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER 10 3/4 X 8 3/4 INCHES INITIALED, NUMBERED AND DATED 15/5/56 LOWER RIGHT EXHIBITED: GALLERY SCHLESINGER - BOISANTÉ, NEW YORK, NY, “ETHEL SCHWABACHER: WORKS FROM THE FIFTIES”, 12 SEPT - 7 OCT, 1987
UNTITLED #124, 1956 MIXED MEDIA ON PAPER 10 3/4 X 8 3/4 INCHES INITIALED UPPER LEFT NUMBERED AND DATED 15/5/56 LOWER CENTER EXHIBITION: GALLERY SCHLESINGER - BOISANTÉ , NEW YORK, NY, “ETHEL SCHWABACHER: WORKS FROM THE FIFTIES”, 12 SEPT - 7 OCT, 1987
ETHEL SCHWABACHER ODE #I, 1954 AMERICAN, 1903 - 1984 OIL ON CANVAS 40 X 25 INCHES TITLED AND DATED 1954 ON REVERSE STAMPED BY THE ESTATE OF THE ARTIST ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: ESTATE OF THE ARTIST
ODE #III, 1951 OIL ON CANVAS 24 X 20 INCHES SIGNED AND DATED ‘51 UPPER LEFT TITLED AND INSCRIBED ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: 871 FINE ARTS, SAN FRANCISCO, CA GALLERY SCHLESINGER-BOISANTÉ INC., NEW YORK, NY PRIVATE COLLECTION, INDIANAPOLIS, IN EXHIBITED: GALLERY SCHLESINGER-BOISANTÉ ,INC. “ETHEL SCHWABACHER: WORKS FROM THE FIFTIES”, 12 SEPT - 7 OCT, 1987
BUFFIE JOHNSON AMERICAN, 1912 - 2006 THE BRIDGE I, 1952 OIL ON CANVAS 36 X 26 1/2 INCHES SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1952 ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: PRIVATE COLLECTION, NEW YORK CITY, NY UNTITLED, 1953 OIL ON CANVAS 51 X 19 1/2 INCHES SIGNED LOWER RIGHT SIGNED AND DATED 1953 ON REVERSE
BUFFIE JOHNSON AMERICAN, 1912 - 2006 THE MIDDLE WAY / THE GREAT MOTHER RULES THE SKY (ASTOR MURAL), 1949 - 1959 OIL ON CANVAS 49 X 60 INCHES SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1949-1959 ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: ESTATE OF THE ARTIST EXHIBITION: “BUFFIE JOHNSON: PAINTINGS OF THE 40’S AND THE 90’S”, PS 1 MUSEUM, THE INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART IN LONG ISLAND CITY, APRIL 18 - JUNE 20, 1993, LONG ISLAND CITY, NY
BUFFIE JOHNSON AMERICAN, 1912 - 2006 THE GOLDEN FLOWER (SOLAR ROSE), 1961 OIL ON CANVAS 20 X 22 INCHES SIGNED LOWER RIGHT SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1961 ON REVERSE EXHIBITED: JASON GALLERY INC., NEW YORK, NY CIBA-GEIGY CORP., NEW YORK, NY WORLD HOUSE GALLERIES CORP., NEW YORK, NY
BUFFIE JOHNSON AMERICAN, 1912 - 2006 THE WHITE GODDESS, 1975 OIL ON CANVAS 62 X 72 INCHES SIGNED LOWER RIGHT SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1975 ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: PRIVATE COLLECTION, PALM BEACH, FL
THE TRIPLE GODDESS, 1975 OIL ON LINEN 50 X 60 INCHES SIGNED AND TITLED ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: ESTATE OF THE ARTIST BY DECENT TO FAMILY EXHIBITION: ”10 ARTISTS”, LANDMARK GALLERY, NEW YORK, NY, 1976 “BUFFIE JOHNSON: THE SPIRIT OF PLANTS”, CHUCK LEVITAN GALLERY, NEW YORK, NY, 1997-1998
ALICE BABER PORTO DE LA SILVA, 1960 AMERICAN, 1928- 1982 WATERCOLOR ON PAPER 25 X 20 INCHES SIGNED LOWER RIGHT AND LOWER LEFT SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1960 ON REVERSE
YELLOW CROQUET SECOND WICKET, 1961 OIL ON CANVAS 39 1/4 X 32 INCHES SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1961 ON REVERSE
ALICE BABER LADDER FORREST, 1966 AMERICAN, 1928- 1982 OIL ON CANVAS 40 X 40 INCHES SIGNED LOWER LEFT PROVENANCE: PRIVATE COLLECTION, NY
SEVEN WONDER, 1966 OIL ON CANVAS 40 X 40 INCHES SIGNED LOWER RIGHT PROVENANCE: PRIVATE COLLECTION, NY EXHIBITION: ALICE BABER PARIS, KÖLNISCHER KUNSTVEREIN, COLOGNE, GERMANY, 13 SEPT - 9 OCT, 1966 LITERATURE: ALICE BABER PARIS, COLOGNE: KÖLNISCHER KUNSTVEREIN, 1966. ISSUED IN CONNECTION WITH AN EXHIBITION HELD SEPT 13- OCT 9, 1966. ILLUSTRATED IN COLOR ON CATALOG COVER
ALICE BABER AMERICAN, 1928- 1982 SWIRL OF SOUND - WIND, ROCK AND SUN, 1975 OIL ON CANVAS 103 X 71 3/4 INCHES SIGNED AND DATED ‘75 LOWER RIGHT SIGNED, TITLED AND DATED 1975 ON REVERSE PROVENANCE: AMERICAN BROADCAST COMPANY CORPORATION COLLECTION, NEW YORK, NY
ALICE BABER PURPLE AND BLUE LADDER TURNING NORTH, 1976 AMERICAN, 1928- 1982 OIL ON CANVAS 27 3/4 X 19 3/4 INCHES SIGNED LOWER LEFT PROVENANCE: PRIVATE COLLECTION, NEW YORK, NY
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