Maude Kerns
Encyclopedia
Maude Irvine Kerns was an American
artist. Kerns was born in 1876 in Portland, Oregon
, where she was raised by her pioneer
parents. After high school, she graduated from the University of Oregon
, the California School of Fine Arts
and later Columbia University
, where she received a second degree in fine arts under the guidance of Arthur Wesley Dow
. After spending time traveling through Asia and Europe seeing the works of Wassily Kandinsky
, Piet Mondrian
, Paul Klee
and others from the avant-garde
art movement, as well as a stint with renowned art teacher Hans Hofmann
, Kerns returned to teach art at the University of Oregon in Eugene
where she was named head of the Arts Department. She remained until her retirement in the 1940s. Many of her early works were destroyed during a fire at the art school.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, Kerns made a name for herself in the world of abstract art
, painting in what was called at the time the "non-objective" art movement. A spiritual woman, she embraced the art-as-spiritual expression philosophy of Wassily Kandinsky. Her paintings were recognized and championed by Hilla von Rebay
, chief advisor to Solomon R. Guggenheim
, who purchased a number of her paintings, along with art from other standouts in the early American abstract art scene, for his Museum of Non-Objective Painting (later renamed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
) in New York
. Kerns died in 1965. The Eugene Art Center, to which she was a major donor, was renamed The Maude Kerns Art Center
in her honor.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist. Kerns was born in 1876 in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, where she was raised by her pioneer
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
parents. After high school, she graduated from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, the California School of Fine Arts
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
and later Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, where she received a second degree in fine arts under the guidance of Arthur Wesley Dow
Arthur Wesley Dow
Arthur Wesley Dow was an American painter, printmaker, photographer, and influential arts educator....
. After spending time traveling through Asia and Europe seeing the works of Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Kandinsky
Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting the first purely-abstract works. Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa. He enrolled at the University of Moscow, studying law and economics...
, Piet Mondrian
Piet Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondriaan, after 1906 Mondrian , was a Dutch painter.He was an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which was founded by Theo van Doesburg. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neo-Plasticism...
, Paul Klee
Paul Klee
Paul Klee was born in Münchenbuchsee, Switzerland, and is considered both a German and a Swiss painter. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. He was, as well, a student of orientalism...
and others from the avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
art movement, as well as a stint with renowned art teacher Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann
Hans Hofmann was a German-born American abstract expressionist painter.-Biography:Hofmann was born in Weißenburg, Bavaria on March 21, 1880, the son of Theodor and Franziska Hofmann. When he was six he moved with his family to Munich...
, Kerns returned to teach art at the University of Oregon in Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
where she was named head of the Arts Department. She remained until her retirement in the 1940s. Many of her early works were destroyed during a fire at the art school.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, Kerns made a name for herself in the world of abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
, painting in what was called at the time the "non-objective" art movement. A spiritual woman, she embraced the art-as-spiritual expression philosophy of Wassily Kandinsky. Her paintings were recognized and championed by Hilla von Rebay
Hilla von Rebay
Hildegard Anna Augusta Elizabeth Freiin Rebay von Ehrenwiesen, Baroness Hilla von Rebay, or simply Hilla Rebay , was a notable woman abstract painter in the early 20th century. After immigrating to the United States in 1927, she may be best known for helping Solomon R...
, chief advisor to Solomon R. Guggenheim
Solomon R. Guggenheim
Solomon Robert Guggenheim was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist.-Biography:He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, son of Meyer Guggenheim and brother of Simon, Benjamin, Daniel and four other siblings.Following studies in Switzerland at the Concordia Institute in...
, who purchased a number of her paintings, along with art from other standouts in the early American abstract art scene, for his Museum of Non-Objective Painting (later renamed Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
) in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Kerns died in 1965. The Eugene Art Center, to which she was a major donor, was renamed The Maude Kerns Art Center
Maude Kerns Art Center
Maude Kerns Art Center is a non-profit community center for the visual arts located in Eugene, Oregon. The center was founded in 1950 by a group of local artists including Maude Kerns. The center currently hosts art installations, classes in the creative arts, and public and private events...
in her honor.