Mary Abbott

Mary Abbott (b.1921) is recognised as one of the prominent figures of the Abstract Expressionist movements. Born in New York, Abbott went on to join the ‘Artists Club’ where she was one of the few female members, including Elaine de Kooning and Perle Fine. Similarly to other women at the time, Abbott received far less recognition as a female artist within the male dominated genre.

Abbott’s canvases typically include vivid colours and gestural brushstrokes resulting in highly animated scenes. Abbott’s paintings are emotive, often referencing nature and poetry. Many of the works are inspired by her time spent travelling in Haiti, reflecting the colours and abstracting the forms of the landscape.

While attending the Art Students League of New York, Abbott studied under artist George Grosz. Abbott also studied at the Corcoran Museum School in Washington, D.C. During her lifetime Abbott’s work was exhibited at Museum of Modern Art, among others, and she was represented by the McCormick Gallery in Chicago. Abbott’s work has since been widely exhibited, most notably in the Women of Abstract Expressionism exhibition in Denver (2016) alongside artists such as Elaine de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler and Lee Krasner.

Abbott died in New York in 2019.