Jacqueline Moss
Encyclopedia
Jacqueline Moss was an American art historian, lecturer, writer and art critic. She was the curator of education at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art (since renamed) and lectured widely on modern
and 20th century art. Her articles and seminars often had a focus on women artists. In the 1980s, she had a travel business touring art and architecture in Europe, Asia and South America.
for fifteen years. Larry Aldrich
founded the museum to house his art collection of contemporary art. Moss gave seminars, lectured and later became curator of education. In 1977, she began leading specialized tour groups to Europe to visit private collections and artists' studios, as well as museums like the Dutch Kröller-Müller Museum
in Otterlo
, known for its extensive collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh
. In Norway, they visited a stave church
in Borgund
.
She taught at the University of Bridgeport
and Housatonic Community College
in Connecticut and lectured at the Kansas City Art Institute
, The New School
, Bard College
and the Smithsonian Institute. Prior to teaching on the university level, she taught at the Daycroft School
in Greenwich, Connecticut
. She lectured on the art collection owned by Joseph Hirshhorn
at his Greenwich estate and led tours of the sculpture garden before it was sent to Washington, D.C. to the Hirshhorn Museum, built to house his art collection. Moss was also the art critic at The Advocate
and a contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
and Arts Magazine
, a monthly arts journal. Her article on Gertrude Greene
was the cover story for the April 1981 issue of Arts. Many of her articles were about women artists. Moss was also interested in the women's movement and how it gave rise to new expression by women artists, such as Judy Chicago
and May Stevens
. At the Aldrich Museum, she curated a series on "Art by Contemporary Women Artists".
She owned Jacqueline Moss Museum Tours, which led "special interest" tours of art and architecture around the world. Earlier trips went to European countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Greece, and Germany. She first went to China in 1982 just after the country began to welcome tourism. China was still quite impoverished and primitive. Many Chinese, even in major cities, had never seen western faces because China was closed following its 1949 revolution. Travel was restricted and tourism became essentially non-existent until after the death of Mao Zedong
. By the time Moss returned just three years later, in 1985, tourism had grown from 230,000 in 1978 to 1.4 million foreigners and non-Asian faces in major cities were no longer a novelty. On the second trip to China, Moss and her group followed the Old Silk Route and visited the Mogao Caves
. She also took groups to Egypt, Japan, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Soviet Union
, Brazil, and other countries. In 1989, political unrest in China
caused her to reschedule a return there.
Moss held a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree from the Cooper Union
and received a Master's degree
in art history from Queens College in 1980. Her thesis was on the art of Gertrude Greene and is archived at the Archives of American Art
at the Smithsonian.
, a musician and author of books and articles on piano. His last book, Let Me Help You, contained three photos of her, one as an infant, one as a toddler and one as a young girl playing a piano duet with her brother, Roger. Her mother was Ruth Brewer Eisenberg
, "Ivory" of Ebony and Ivory
, a piano duo of two grandmothers, one white and one black, who had had strokes and played together, one hand each.
Articles
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
and 20th century art. Her articles and seminars often had a focus on women artists. In the 1980s, she had a travel business touring art and architecture in Europe, Asia and South America.
Career
Moss was associated with the Aldrich Museum in Ridgefield, ConnecticutRidgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 24,638 at the 2010 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough, is defined by the U.S...
for fifteen years. Larry Aldrich
Larry Aldrich
Larry Aldrich was an American fashion design, art collector, and founder of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut.-Life:...
founded the museum to house his art collection of contemporary art. Moss gave seminars, lectured and later became curator of education. In 1977, she began leading specialized tour groups to Europe to visit private collections and artists' studios, as well as museums like the Dutch Kröller-Müller Museum
Kröller-Müller Museum
The Kröller-Müller Museum is an art museum and sculpture garden, located in the Hoge Veluwe National Park in Otterlo in the Netherlands.-Museum:...
in Otterlo
Otterlo
Otterlo is a small village in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, in or near the Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe....
, known for its extensive collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
. In Norway, they visited a stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...
in Borgund
Borgund, Sogn og Fjordane
Borgund is a village and former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Borgund was the village of Steinklepp, which has a store, a bank, and a school...
.
She taught at the University of Bridgeport
University of Bridgeport
The University of Bridgeport is a private, independent, non-sectarian, coeducational university located on the Long Island Sound in the South End neighborhood of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The University is fully Accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges...
and Housatonic Community College
Housatonic Community College
Housatonic Community College is a two-year public college located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is currently one of the twelve colleges in the Connecticut Community Colleges system...
in Connecticut and lectured at the Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City Art Institute
The Kansas City Art Institute is a private, independent, four-year college of fine arts and design founded in 1885 in Kansas City, Missouri....
, The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
, Bard College
Bard College
Bard College, founded in 1860 as "St. Stephen's College", is a small four-year liberal arts college located in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.-Location:...
and the Smithsonian Institute. Prior to teaching on the university level, she taught at the Daycroft School
Daycroft School
The Daycroft School was a coeducational private boarding school founded by Sarah Pyle Smart in 1928 in Stamford, Connecticut and later relocated to Greenwich, Connecticut. There, it eventually occupied the Rosemary Hall campus from 1971 until Daycroft's closing in 1991...
in Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
. She lectured on the art collection owned by Joseph Hirshhorn
Joseph Hirshhorn
]Joseph Herman Hirshhorn was an entrepreneur, financier and art collector. Born in Mitau, Latvia, the twelfth of thirteen children, Hirshhorn emigrated to the United States with his widowed mother at the age of six....
at his Greenwich estate and led tours of the sculpture garden before it was sent to Washington, D.C. to the Hirshhorn Museum, built to house his art collection. Moss was also the art critic at The Advocate
The Advocate (Stamford)
The Advocate is a seven-day daily newspaper based in Stamford, Connecticut, USA. The paper shares a publisher and editor with the Greenwich Time; both are owned and operated by the Hearst Corporation, a multinational corporate media conglomerate with $4 billion in revenues.The Advocate circulates...
and a contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
and Arts Magazine
Arts Magazine
Arts Magazine was monthly magazine devoted to fine art. It was established in 1926 and last published in 1992. It was originally called The Art Digest and was earlier published semi-monthly from October to May and monthly from June to September. It was later renamed Arts and finally, Arts Magazine...
, a monthly arts journal. Her article on Gertrude Greene
Gertrude Greene
Gertrude Glass Greene was an abstract sculptor and painter from New York, New York. Gertrude and her husband, artist Balcomb Greene, were heavily involved in political activism to promote mainstream acceptance of abstract art...
was the cover story for the April 1981 issue of Arts. Many of her articles were about women artists. Moss was also interested in the women's movement and how it gave rise to new expression by women artists, such as Judy Chicago
Judy Chicago
Judy Chicago is a feminist artist, author, and educator.Chicago has been creating artwork since the mid 1960s. Her earliest forays into the art world coincided with the rise of Minimalism, which she eventually abandoned in favor of art she believed to have greater content and relevance...
and May Stevens
May Stevens
May Stevens is an American feminist artist, political activist, educator, and writer. Major works include: Freedom Riders , "Big Daddy" series , Ordinary/Extraordinary , and SoHo Women Artists . In 1977, she was one of the featured artists discussed in a seminar given by Jacqueline Moss at the...
. At the Aldrich Museum, she curated a series on "Art by Contemporary Women Artists".
She owned Jacqueline Moss Museum Tours, which led "special interest" tours of art and architecture around the world. Earlier trips went to European countries such as Spain, Italy, France, Greece, and Germany. She first went to China in 1982 just after the country began to welcome tourism. China was still quite impoverished and primitive. Many Chinese, even in major cities, had never seen western faces because China was closed following its 1949 revolution. Travel was restricted and tourism became essentially non-existent until after the death of Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
. By the time Moss returned just three years later, in 1985, tourism had grown from 230,000 in 1978 to 1.4 million foreigners and non-Asian faces in major cities were no longer a novelty. On the second trip to China, Moss and her group followed the Old Silk Route and visited the Mogao Caves
Mogao Caves
The Mogao Caves or Mogao Grottoes , also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas , form a system of 492 temples southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu province, China...
. She also took groups to Egypt, Japan, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Brazil, and other countries. In 1989, political unrest in China
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
caused her to reschedule a return there.
Moss held a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree from the Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
and received a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in art history from Queens College in 1980. Her thesis was on the art of Gertrude Greene and is archived at the Archives of American Art
Archives of American Art
The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 16 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washington, D.C...
at the Smithsonian.
Family
Moss was the daughter of Jacob EisenbergJacob Eisenberg (musician)
Jacob Eisenberg was an American pianist, teacher and author of books and articles on the piano. He was married to Ruth Brewer Eisenberg, "Ivory" of the piano duo, Ebony and Ivory.- Musical accomplishments :...
, a musician and author of books and articles on piano. His last book, Let Me Help You, contained three photos of her, one as an infant, one as a toddler and one as a young girl playing a piano duet with her brother, Roger. Her mother was Ruth Brewer Eisenberg
Ruth Brewer Eisenberg
Ruth Brewer Eisenberg was "Ivory" of "Ebony and Ivory," the inter-racial piano duo. Eisenberg and Margaret Patrick, "Ebony," each had a stroke in 1982, which partially disabled them. Prior to the stroke, each had studied and played classical piano. Eisenberg was disabled on the left, Patrick on...
, "Ivory" of Ebony and Ivory
Ebony and Ivory (piano duo)
Ebony and Ivory was the name given to two elderly women in New Jersey, one white and one black, who played classical piano together. Both had suffered a stroke in 1982 and become partially disabled. Ruth Eisenberg and Margaret Patrick were introduced to each other the following year and began...
, a piano duo of two grandmothers, one white and one black, who had had strokes and played together, one hand each.
Publications (selected)
Catalogs- Ida E. Rubin (Ed.) and Jacqueline Moss (text), Sculpture 76: An Outdoor Exhibition of Sculpture By Fifteen Living American Artists: Claes Oldenbourg, George RickeyGeorge RickeyGeorge Rickey was an American kinetic sculptor.Rickey was born on June 6, 1907 in South Bend, Indiana.-Life and work:...
, Forrest Myers, James RosatiJames RosatiJames Rosati was an American abstract sculptor.Born in Pennsylvania, Rosati moved to New York in 1944, where he befriended fellow sculptor Philip Pavia. He was a charter member of the Eighth Street Club and the New York School of abstract expressionists...
, Reuben NakianReuben NakianReuben Nakian was an American sculptor and teacher of Armenian extraction. His recurring themes are from Greek and Roman mythology. Noted works include Leda and the Swan, The Rape of Lucrece, Hecuba, and The Birth of Venus...
, Richard FleischnerRichard FleischnerRichard Fleischner is a Providence, RI based environmental artist. Born in New York in 1944, he received a BFA and MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and began working in the 1960s.-Installations:-Awards:*Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts...
, Lila Katzen, Tony SmithTony Smith (sculptor)Tony Smith was an American sculptor, visual artist, architectural designer, and a noted theorist on art. He is often cited as a pioneering figure in American Minimalist sculpture.-Education:...
, Alexander CalderAlexander CalderAlexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
, Athena TachaAthena TachaAthena Tacha , is best known in the fields of environmental public sculpture and conceptual art, but has also worked extensively in photography, film and artists’ books...
, Willem De KooningWillem de KooningWillem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
, Richard SerraRichard SerraRichard Serra is an American minimalist sculptor and video artist known for working with large-scale assemblies of sheet metal. Serra was involved in the Process Art Movement.-Early life and education:...
, George SegalGeorge Segal (artist)George Segal was an American painter and sculptor associated with the Pop Art movement. He was presented with a National Medal of Arts in 1999.-Works:...
, Charles GinneverCharles GinneverCharles Ginnever is an American sculptor. He was born in San Mateo, California, in 1931. In 1957, he received his BA from the San Francisco Art Institute and received his MFA from Cornell University in 1959. He started working with canvas and steel scraps painted with bright patterns...
, Kuehn (1976). Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich, Connecticut - "Women Artists and Their Place in Modern Art History" in: American Art: American Women 1965 through 1985, introduction by Dorothy MayhallDorothy MayhallDorothy Mayhall was an American museum director and sculptor. She worked at art museums in New York and Connecticut, primarily exhibiting contemporary art.- Early years :...
(December 15, 1984 – February 23, 1985). Stamford MuseumStamford Museum and Nature CenterThe Stamford Museum and Nature Center, located in Stamford, Connecticut, is an art, history, nature and agricultural sciences museum. The property covers 118 acres beginning about 1/2 mile north of the Merritt Parkway and was originally a private estate.- Facilities :The museum property was the...
, Stamford, Connecticut
Articles
- "Gertrude Greene: Constructions of the 1930s and 1940s", Arts Magazine, Vol. 55, No. 8 (April 1981), pp. 120–127
- "Alberta Cifolelli", Arts Magazine, (April 1982)
- "Nancy Ketchman" Arts Magazine, (April 1984)
- "Juliet Holland", Arts Magazine, (April 1984)
- "Rebecca Welz", Arts Magazine, Vol. 60 (January 1985)
- "Linda Nisselson", Arts Magazine, (October 1987)