1917 - 2000

Hoogtepunten

  • Museums on this site:
    • Tate Modern
    • Smithsonian American Art Museum
  • Color intensity: vivid
  • Copyright status: Under copyright
  • Top-ranked work: Still Life with Frying Pan and Red Cabbage
  • Art period: Modern
  • Lifespan: 83 years

Early Life and Artistic Development

Born in Reykjavík, Louisa Matthíasdóttir grew up in the famous Höfði house between 1925 and 1937. Her early artistic training began in Denmark and continued under Marcel Gromaire in Paris. During her time in Reykjavík, she became a leading figure in the Icelandic avant-garde community, a group that gathered in a house called Unuhús. Her early paintings from the late 1930s utilized a broad brush to emphasize geometric form, often characterized by subdued colors and a technique of painting in one unbroken session.

In 1942, she moved to New York City, where she studied under Hans Hofmann. During this period, she was part of a circle of painters that included Robert De Niro, Sr. and Jane Freilicher. In 1944, she married the painter Leland Bell, a partnership that lasted until his death in 1991. Their daughter, Temma, was born in 1945.

Evolution of Style and Later Works

Matthíasdóttir's style underwent several transformations. In the 1950s, her work featured small, gestural brushstrokes and tonal gradations. By the 1960s, she moved away from tonality toward a style defined by brisk execution and broad areas of forthright color. Her later decades were dedicated to several specific subjects:

  • Icelandic landscapes, which often included stylized depictions of sheep and Icelandic horses.
  • A series of self-portraits.
  • Tabletop still-life arrangements.

Her work is held in various public collections, such as the Art Institute of Chicago, the Reykjavík Art Museum, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. She was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and received the American-Scandinavian Foundation's Cultural Award in 1996. She died in Delhi, New York.

Vraag en antwoord

Is er een chronologisch overzicht van Louisa Matthíasdóttir?

De Loopbaanoverzicht van Louisa Matthíasdóttir is een interactieve tijdlijn die de werken van de kunstenaar chronologisch presenteert, gegroepeerd in hoofdstukken per carrièreperiode.

Kan ik de werken van Louisa Matthíasdóttir verkennen op basis van trefwoorden?

De werken van Louisa Matthíasdóttir kunnen via trefwoorden worden verkend op de Op trefwoorden pagina van de kunstenaar. Elk trefwoord groepeert de bijbehorende kunstwerken.

Waar kan ik de kunstwerken van Louisa Matthíasdóttir bekijken in een 3D-galerie?

De kunstwerken van Louisa Matthíasdóttir zijn te bewonderen in een 3D-galerie op de 3D-galerie-pagina van de kunstenaar.

In welke historische periode werkte Louisa Matthíasdóttir?

Louisa Matthíasdóttir werkte in de Modern-periode. Deze periode plaatst het oeuvre van de kunstenaar in een historisch kader.

Quiz

Er is slechts één goed antwoord op elke vraag.

Vraag 1:
Where was Louisa Matthíasdóttir born?
Vraag 2:
In which year did Louisa move to New York City?
Vraag 3:
Who was Louisa's husband, a fellow painter?
Vraag 4:
Which artist's figurative style may have influenced Louisa's use of outline?
Vraag 5:
Which museum is among those that represent her work in public collections?