Items Similar to An Original Painting By American Artist Agnes Sims (1910 - 1990)
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9
An Original Painting By American Artist Agnes Sims (1910 - 1990)
About the Item
A mixed media on board from the 1960's by American Artist Agnes Sims
"Agi" Sims is known for paintings and sculptures inspired by prehistoric rock art of New Mexico.
Born in Devon, Pennsylvania, Sims attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art and the Philadelphia School of Design for Women. She managed a traveling marionette theater before establishing herself as a textile and needlework designer in Philadelphia.
After a visit to New Mexico in 1938, Sims returned to Philadelphia, packed her belongings, and returned to make Santa Fe her permanent home. She opened a classical record store in an eighteenth-century farmhouse on Canyon Road, but the shortage of shellac during the War put her out of business. Sims then became a building contractor (skills taught her by her contractor father), purchasing and renovating historic houses around Santa Fe. She later bought a nineteenth-century house with acreage on Canyon Road and built a compound including a house for herself and one for her long-time partner, Mary Louise Aswell, the fiction editor at Harper's Bazaar who had brought writers such as Eurdora Welty and Truman Capote to the public's attention.
Shortly after her arrival, a friend introduced Sims to the Galisteo Basin south of Santa Fe which was dotted with the ruins of prehistoric Indian Pueblos, and home to tens of thousands of ancient petroglyphs. The rock art captivated Sims and became her primary inspiration for the rest of her career. Over the next decade she recorded 3000 petroglyphs in drawings and thousands more in photographs. In 1949 she received a grant from the American Philosophical Society to further her research, and in 1950 she published a portfolio of selected rock at drawings in her monograph, San Cristobal Petroglyphs.
Most of Sims paintings and sculptures were inspired by petroglyphs, but unlike her documentary drawings they never were literal copies. Rather she adopted and adapted the two-dimensional representations of people and animal into an art that fit comfortably into the larger world of mid-century modernism. She used simple, idiosyncratic figures to create her own symbolism, the original meanings of the ancient art being mostly lost to the past.
Sims worked in a wide array of media. Her oil paintings on canvas often were mixed with an earthen medium which gave them a rough, stone-like texture. She developed a batik-like resist process for painting on cloth, and used it to produce large, un-stretched wall hangings. She used this technique to produce an architectural frieze 3.5 feet high and almost 150 feet long which still adorns the Century Bank lobby in downtown Santa Fe. Sims was a prolific sculptor, working in wood, stone, bronze, terracotta, fiberglass, and polyester.
Sims was given one-woman shows at the Brooklyn Museum, U.S. Embassy in London, Folger Library, Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, McNay Art Institute in San Antonio, Texas, and the Museum of Fine Art in Santa Fe. She also showed her work at the gallery she owned on Canyon Road. At times, she rented studio space in her gallery building to local artisans, hoping to spark a revival of early New Mexico arts and crafts.
Although she did not offer formal instruction, Sims was known for her generous encouragement of younger artists. In the large patio of the Canyon Road compound, she hosted public performances of original dance, music, and theater and readings by local authors. She also was known for her love of good food and scotch and living strictly on her own terms. She was honored with the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence and Achievements in the Arts a few months before her death from Alzheimer's disease in 1990.
- Creator:Agnes Sims (Painter)
- Dimensions:Height: 18 in (45.72 cm)Width: 28 in (71.12 cm)Depth: 3 in (7.62 cm)
- Style:Prehistoric (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Palm Springs, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU9380821781
About the Seller
5.0
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
Established in 1995
1stDibs seller since 2012
511 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Palm Springs, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 2 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Original Abstract Painting by Listed Artists Tom BelloniBy Tom BelloniLocated in Palm Springs, CAA beautiful 1976 abstract mixed-media painting by America artists Tom Belloni. The painting has orange, browns and gold colors. The painting is hand signed Belloni and dated 1976 on ...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Decorative Art
MaterialsResin, Acrylic
- Enamel on Masonite Abstract Painting by American Artist Rick OrrBy Rick OrrLocated in Palm Springs, CAOriginal enamel on masonite abstract painting from "Edge of Tow" series by American listed artist Rick Orr. Dimensions: 40" high, 40"wide, 1"deep.Category
2010s American Modern Paintings
MaterialsEnamel
- Original Acrylic Painting by Italian Listed Artist Piero PastacaldiLocated in Palm Springs, CABeautiful original acrylic painting on canvas by Italian listed artist Piero Pastacaldi. The painting depicts the artist home town Livorno's port of Italy. The paint is acrylic on...Category
1990s Italian Mid-Century Modern Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic, Wood
- Original Mixed-Media Abstract Painting by Listed Artist Josh DaytonBy DaytonLocated in Palm Springs, CAOriginal mixed-media abstract painting by American listed artist Josh Dayton. Spectacular three dimensional sculptural mixed-media abstract painting that ...Category
1990s American Modern Contemporary Art
MaterialsCeramic, Canvas, Acrylic, Paper, Crayon
- Large Acrylic on Cavas Abstract Painting by American Listed Artist Ted KerzieLocated in Palm Springs, CALarge scale abstract acrylic painting on canvas by American listed artist Ted Kerzie. Measurements: 178” Wide, 105” High, 3.5” Deep. Ted Kerzie Born in 1943 Tacoma Washington...Category
1990s American Modern Contemporary Art
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic, Wood
- Original Acrylic on Canvas Abstract Painting by Listed Artist Ted LownikBy Ted LownikLocated in Palm Springs, CAA beautiful 1970s acrylic on canvas abstract painting by American listed artist Ted Lownik. Newly framed with a wood gilded frame. Signed on the right lower corner. Dimension: 23.5"...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic
You May Also Like
- Original Artist Signed An Eagle as She Flies Painting by the Artist RoseLocated in West Hartford, CTVibrant original artist signed painting by Rose. Mid century modern wooden frame from the period. Medium is oil on canvas. Colors are vibrant. Titled "An Eagle When She Flies". Great...Category
Mid-20th Century Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Wood
- Original Abstract Painting, American Artist, Suzanne CluneLocated in Vero Beach, FLAbstract painting, American artist Suzanne Clune, titled, “Klondike”, Acrylic on canvas, gallery wrapped, W. 30" x H. 40" x D. 2" Listed artist: Suzanne Clune, Abstract Expression...Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Paintings
MaterialsAcrylic
- Abstract Acrylic Painting by American ArtistLocated in Delray Beach, FLBeautiful acrylic abstract painting signed by the artist .Category
20th Century American Contemporary Art
MaterialsCanvas, Acrylic, Wood
- Fine Quality Original Oil Painting American Bulldog by French Artist GirardBy GirardLocated in Tustin, CAExquisitely rendered, original oil on board, signed estate painting by French artist, Girard, depicts an American Bulldog reclining on grass, with spa...Category
Late 20th Century French Other Paintings
MaterialsMasonite
- Original Oil on Canvas Painting by Listed American Artist Doug FerrinLocated in San Diego, CAOriginal oil on canvas painting by listed American artist Doug Ferrin, circa 1990s. The piece is custom framed in a thin rustic wood frame that gives the piece a lot of character. Th...Category
Late 20th Century North American Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Paint
- Original Italian Oil Painting of an Artists Studio, Rome 1960Located in Haddonfield, NJVintage Italian Wall Painting of an Artists Studio, Signed and dated, J. Annus Rome 1960. The painting depicts an artists studio with an easel in the evening set in Rome. Painting i...Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Bohemian Paintings
MaterialsCanvas, Wood