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Who are the Women Modernists in New York?
Helen Torr (United States, 1886–1967), Along the Shore, 1932 Oil on canvas, Karen and Kevin Kennedy Collection Powerful works from the world’s leading artists, O’Keeffe, Stettheimer, Torr, Zorach will take center stage at the Portland Museum of Art (PMA) from June 24 through September 18, 2016. O’Keeffe, Stettheimer, Torr, Zorach: Women Modernists in New York will examine the art and careers of four pioneering artists and their wide contributions to American modernism in parallel for the first time. Through this exhibition, the PMA will take visitors to explore works by some of the most significant modernists in American art history. This unique exhibition offers valuable perspectives on the meaning of modernism, the life of a working artist in New York in the early 20th century, and the shared and differing experiences of being women at a crucial moment in first-wave feminism.
Florine Stettheimer (United States, 1871–1944), Jenny and Genevieve, circa 1915 Oil on canvas. Art Properties, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University in the City of New York, Gift of the Estate of Ettie Stettheimer, 1967 
Marguerite Thompson Zorach (United States, 1887–1968) Portrait of Florine Stettheimer, circa 1915, Pencil on paper, Art Properties, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University in the City of New York, Gift of Mr. Joseph Solomon, 1973 
Marguerite Thompson Zorach (United States, 1887–1968), Pegasus/Hand Bag, circa 1918 Wool embroidery on burlap or linen, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of Tessim Zorach 
Georgia O’Keeffe, American, 1887–1986. Jack-in-Pulpit Abstraction- No. VI, 1930. Oil on canvas Throughout the early 20th century, artists were radically breaking with all traditions in art, inventing a new visual language that responded to the experience of living in a new century. As creative ideas took hold in the sciences, modern artists created new ways of seeing the world through formal experiments. This exhibition examines the talents, relationships, privilege, and influences that enabled each woman to invent her own distinctive approach to modernism. In grouping these artists’ careers and work together, the Portland Museum of Art explores the creative forces behind modernism, while highlighting the social and political contexts they shared.
Helen Torr (United States, 1886–1967), Oyster Stakes, 1930 Oil on panel, Gift of Mrs. Mary Rehm; Collection of the Heckscher Museum of Art 
Helen Torr (United States, 1886–1967), January, 1935 Oil on canvas, Gift of Mrs. Mary Rehm; Collection of the Hecksher Museum of Art 
Marguerite Zorach (American, 1887–1968), Two Sisters- Marguerite and Her Sister Edith, 1921 oil on canvas. Signed and dated in lower right M ZORACH/ 1921 
Georgia O’Keeffe (United States, 1887–1986), The White Calico Flower, 1931 Oil on canvas, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 
Florine Stettheimer (United States, 1871–1944), Asbury Park South, 1920 Oil on canvas, Collection of Halley K. Harrisburg and Michael Rosenfeld, New York - Image credits: The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. J. Harwood & Louise B. Cochrane Fund for American Art. Photo: Travis Fullerton © Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
