1925-1992

Joan Mitchell’s settlement in France in 1959 ensured her artistic independence from the Abstract Expressionists in New York.  There she explored the vibrant palette that became her signature subject – gestural ‘windows’ reminiscent of late Monet.  Subdued masses that were color splashed or smeared marked her seminal ’60s work.  Mitchell studied at Smith College, The Art Institute of Chicago and Columbia University, then at Hans Hoffman’s studio, where she gained traction as a leading artist of the New York School.  The Whitney Museum mounted a posthumous 2002 Mitchell retrospective of works that she hoped would “convey the feeling of the dying sunflower.”