Wikipedia Deep Dive

Joan Mitchell

5 min read

In the heart of Paris, a stone's throw from Claude Monet's beloved gardens in Giverny, an American painter made her mark with vivid, emotive strokes. Her name was Joan Mitchell, and her legacy is a testament to the power of abstract expressionism, a movement she helped define. Born into a family with roots tracing back to the Revolutionary War, Mitchell's life was as colorful and complex as her paintings.

Mitchell's journey began in Chicago, where she was born on February 12, 1925. Her mother, Marion Strobel, was a poet and co-editor of Poetry magazine, while her father, James Herbert Mitchell, was a dermatologist and president of the American Dermatological Association. This blend of artistic and scientific minds in her family would later influence her approach to art, combining technical skill with emotional depth.

A Young Artist in the Making

Growing up, Mitchell was an athletic child, enjoying diving and skating. This physicality would later translate into the energetic and gestural brushwork that characterized her paintings. She frequently attended Saturday art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she honed her skills and developed a deep appreciation for nineteenth-century post-impressionist painters like Henri Matisse.

Her artistic talent was evident early on. During her summers, she attended an Institute-run art colony called Ox-Bow. After high school, she studied at Smith College for two years before transferring to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where she earned her BFA in 1947 and her MFA in 1950. A scholarship in 1944 allowed her to study in Paris and Provence, exposing her to the European art scene and deepening her love for abstract expressionism.

New York and the Rise of Abstract Expressionism

In 1947, Mitchell moved to Manhattan, eager to immerse herself in the burgeoning art scene. She briefly attended Hans Hofmann's school but found his teachings incomprehensible. Instead, she dove headfirst into the New York School of artists and poets, becoming an integral part of the American Abstract Expressionist movement.

The 1950s were a pivotal decade for Mitchell. She maintained a studio in Greenwich Village and was a regular at artist gathering spots like the Cedar Tavern and The Club. Here, she engaged in robust creative discourse with fellow painters like Philip Guston, Franz Kline, and Willem de Kooning. Her work was exhibited in landmark shows, including the "Ninth Street Show" in 1951, which featured works by Jackson Pollock and Hans Hofmann.

I knew that it would be my last figure.

Mitchell's transition to pure abstraction was marked by her 1950 painting Figure and the City. This work signaled her departure from figurative art, paving the way for the emotionally intense and gestural style that would define her career.

A Life in France

By the mid-1950s, Mitchell was spending increasing amounts of time in France, drawn by the allure of the European art scene and her relationship with Canadian painter Jean-Paul Riopelle. She continued to exhibit regularly in New York but made France her permanent home in 1959, settling in a studio on the rue Fremicourt in Paris.

Mitchell's landscapes, particularly the view of the Seine and the gardens on her property in Vétheuil, became frequent reference points for her work. Her paintings from this period are marked by somber hues and dense central masses of color, reflecting an inchoate and primordial emotion.

The Later Years

The 1960s and 1970s saw Mitchell's work evolve further. She began exhibiting with Martha Jackson Gallery and later with New York gallerist Xavier Fourcade. Her large-scale triptychs, such as Sans Neige (without Snow) and the polyptychs La Vie en Rose and Salut Tom, are among her most celebrated works.

I carry my landscapes around with me.

Mitchell's health began to decline in the 1980s. Diagnosed with advanced oral cancer in 1984, she underwent radiation therapy that left her with a dead jawbone and anxiety. Despite these challenges, she continued to paint, creating works that reflected the psychological changes cancer had effected. Her post-cancer paintings, such as the Between series and the A Few Days cycle, are poignant testaments to her resilience.

A Legacy That Endures

Mitchell's impact on the art world is undeniable. She was one of her era's few female painters to gain critical and public acclaim, and her work continues to be celebrated in major museums and collections around the world. In her will, she provided for the creation of the Joan Mitchell Foundation, which awards grants and fellowships to working artists and maintains her archives.

In 2021, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Baltimore Museum of Art co-organized a comprehensive retrospective of her work. The exhibition, which traveled to the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, showcased Mitchell's expansive and emotionally charged paintings, highlighting her enduring influence on abstract expressionism.

The Art Market's Darling

Mitchell's artwork has been extremely commercially successful, both during her lifetime and after her death. Her paintings have fetched record-breaking prices at auctions, with works like 12 Hawks at 3 O'Clock selling for $20 million at Art Basel Hong Kong in 2021. In 2023, her painting Sunflowers sold for $27.9 million at Sotheby's, marking the first time a Mitchell work gaveled at over $20 million.

Conclusion

Joan Mitchell's life and work are a testament to the enduring power of abstract expressionism. From her early days in Chicago to her later years in France, she remained committed to her unique style, creating paintings that are as emotionally resonant as they are technically brilliant. Her legacy continues to inspire artists and art lovers alike, ensuring that her name will be remembered for generations to come.

In the words of art writer Klaus Kertess, "A passionate inner vision guided Joan's brush. Like her peer Cy Twombly, she extended the vocabulary of her Abstract Expressionist forebears. She imbued their painterliness with a compositional and chromatic bravery that defiantly alarms us into grasping their beauty."