I was very excited to learn over the weekend that American abstract expressionist artist Joan Mitchell is to be the subject of a first U.K. solo exhibition at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (Inverleith House) this summer from July 27 until October 3, 2010. And it's about time too!
Mitchell who passed away in 1992, was the product of the macho New York City art scene of the 1950's that begat the likes of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock amongst others. Yet, despite her formidable talent and prolific work product, hers isn't nearly the household name it should be. In this respect, she is in good company along with Elaine de Kooning and Lee Krasner, talented contemporaries whose work has also been largely eclipsed by that of their husbands and male colleagues.
Like Kasner, Mitchell had been drawn early on to the work of Hans Hoffman in New York City but she was only briefly a student of his teachings. She eventually moved to France to be with her companion, Canadian abstract expressionist painter and sculptor Jean-Paul Riopelle. Most art historians point to this decision as the reason why her work failed to garner the attention it deserved. I remain a tad skeptical of this theory - plenty of artists exiled themselves to more-or-less remote areas of the globe with little negative impact to their careers. To be frank, I'm more inclined to think that her work has remained in demi-obscurité as a result of the sexual politics of the 1950's art world.
By most accounts, her relationship with Riopelle which began in Paris in 1955 and lasted almost twenty-five years was a tumultuous one plagued by alcohol abuse, infidelity and a range of other self-destructive behaviors. Despite a complicated personal life, the paintings she produced during her years in France alongside Riopelle where she drew inspiration from Cezanne and Monet are generally considered amongst her best work.
Whatever the reasons that kept Mitchell's highly emotional and deeply moving work from larger dissemination, I'm grateful for any opportunity to see a collection of her work assembled in one place on this side of the pond. Sadly, the exhibition comprises only seven paintings on canvas and five works on paper culled from a variety of public and private collections. Still, it's reason enough for me to make the trip. See you in Edinburgh between July 27 and October 3.
Sincerely,
The Luxe Chronicles
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