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Agnes Hart
Abstract and Fractured, Biomorphic and Geometric Forms

About the Item

Signed lower left. “Abstract and Fractured Biomorphic and Geometric Forms” which was painted in the mid to late 1950’s is a nod to Picasso’s famous painting Guernica, which Hart may have seen when it was given to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1958. Several elements in the painting clearly reference Guernica: the black geometric and cut-out shapes, the biomorphic shapes, the abstracted horse’s head and body, with a district reference to the bull’s tail, along with the black and white pallet choice and various details throughout-all hallmarks of Picasso’s Guernica. The abstracted reality Hart presents in these references go beyond a simple nod and reflect a personal interpretation reflected in the splintered abstraction and her bespoke interpretation. Agnes Hart’s first began her career as a social realist artist in the 1930’s. She was also WPA artist. Her longtime friend Milton Avery encouraged her, and she exhibited in the same gallery in the late 1940’s, the RoKo Gallery. Her instinctive and personalized modernist periods often reflected a similar path of her compatriot artists during the first half of the 20th century. Her early works were influenced by her teachers Josef Presser, Paul Burlin and Lucile Blanch, and Reginald Neal, and reflected historical modern trends-at times showing the influence of Avery and other modernist. Like Elaine DeKooning, Lee Kraser, Michael Corrine West, as well as other female artists, her career blossomed from the shadow of their husbands’ work. Agnes Hart developed a strong, determined, identifiable personal style while being married to the artist Joseph Presser. Her expression was independent and focused. She pushed the boundaries of modernism often instinctively toward geometric abstraction. One-Woman Exhibits: the Roko Gallery in 1949. Woodstock, New York 1951, 1955, 1959, 1963, 1972; Mercer University in Georgia 1962; presentation show at Woodstock Artists Association 1953; Coral Gables, FL 1973.Group Exhibitions: Metropolitan Museum of Art, "American Painting Today" 1950; Art USA 1958; Brooklyn Museum; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; Philadelphia Art Alliance; Virginia Academy of Fine Arts; Toledo Museum; Springfield Museum; Chicago Art Institute; Butler Art Institute; National Academy of Design; Riverside Museum; New York Cultural Center; Long Island University; Berkshire Art Association; Eight at Phoenix Galleries; Galerie Interieur in Zurich, Switzerland. (Source: Agnes Hart: Journey Toward Abstraction, Woodstock Artist Association and Museum Reference: askart.
  • Creator:
    Agnes Hart (1912 - 1979, American)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 41 in (104.14 cm)Width: 61 in (154.94 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Saratoga Springs, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU17029336242
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