Jane Wilson
Encyclopedia
Jane Wilson is an American painter associated with both Abstract Expressionism
and landscape painting.
during the Great Depression
. In 1941, she enrolled at the University of Iowa
, where she studied both painting and art history. The department had previously been chaired by Grant Wood
, a painter associated with 1930s Regionalism
. By the 1940s, however, the department looked toward New York's burgeoning European ex-patriate and American Abstract Expressionist scenes. After graduating, Wilson taught art history at the university for two years. In 1949, she moved to New York City with John Jonas Gruen, who had been a fellow student.
Wilson moved to New York City in 1949. In 1952, she began exhibiting with two cooperative galleries: Tanager Gallery and Hansa Gallery, where she was a founding member. In New York City and in Long Island, Wilson became professionally and personally involved with a group of painters and poets (sometimes called the New York poets). Among the artists were Fairfield Porter
, Larry Rivers
, and Jane Freilicher, and among the poets were James Schuyler
, John Ashbery
, and Frank O'Hara
.
During the 1950s, Wilson also worked as a fitting model to help pay her expenses.
In 1957 she appeared in Life
magazine as one of five leading young women painters.
Wilson has been exhibiting steadily since 1953. She has received many honors and widespread recognition for her work, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York.
Abstract expressionism
Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...
and landscape painting.
Life
Wilson grew up on a farm in IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. In 1941, she enrolled at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
, where she studied both painting and art history. The department had previously been chaired by Grant Wood
Grant Wood
Grant DeVolson Wood was an American painter, born four miles east of Anamosa, Iowa. He is best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic, an iconic image of the 20th century.- Life and career :His family moved to Cedar Rapids after his...
, a painter associated with 1930s Regionalism
Regionalism
In politics, regionalism is a political ideology that focuses on the interests of a particular region or group of regions, whether traditional or formal...
. By the 1940s, however, the department looked toward New York's burgeoning European ex-patriate and American Abstract Expressionist scenes. After graduating, Wilson taught art history at the university for two years. In 1949, she moved to New York City with John Jonas Gruen, who had been a fellow student.
Wilson moved to New York City in 1949. In 1952, she began exhibiting with two cooperative galleries: Tanager Gallery and Hansa Gallery, where she was a founding member. In New York City and in Long Island, Wilson became professionally and personally involved with a group of painters and poets (sometimes called the New York poets). Among the artists were Fairfield Porter
Fairfield Porter
Fairfield Porter was an American painter and art critic. He was the brother of photographer Eliot Porter and the brother-in-law of federal Reclamation Commissioner Michael W. Straus....
, Larry Rivers
Larry Rivers
Larry Rivers was an American artist, musician, filmmaker and occasional actor. Rivers resided and maintained studios in New York City, Southampton, New York and Zihuatanejo, Mexico.-Biography:...
, and Jane Freilicher, and among the poets were James Schuyler
James Schuyler
James Marcus Schuyler was an American poet whose awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 1980 collection The Morning of the Poem...
, John Ashbery
John Ashbery
John Lawrence Ashbery is an American poet. He has published more than twenty volumes of poetry and won nearly every major American award for poetry, including a Pulitzer Prize in 1976 for his collection Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. But Ashbery's work still proves controversial...
, and Frank O'Hara
Frank O'Hara
Francis Russell "Frank" O'Hara was an American writer, poet and art critic. He was a member of the New York School of poetry.-Life:...
.
During the 1950s, Wilson also worked as a fitting model to help pay her expenses.
In 1957 she appeared in Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine as one of five leading young women painters.
Wilson has been exhibiting steadily since 1953. She has received many honors and widespread recognition for her work, including election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York.
Museum Collections
Wilson's paintings are included in the collections of major museums across the country, including:- Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, New York - Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York - Whitney Museum of American ArtWhitney Museum of American ArtThe Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, New York - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenHirshhorn Museum and Sculpture GardenThe Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
, Washington, DC - Nelson-Atkins Museum of ArtNelson-Atkins Museum of ArtThe Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its neoclassical architecture and extensive collection of Asian art....
, Kansas City, Missouri - San Francisco Museum of Modern ArtSan Francisco Museum of Modern ArtThe San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, California.