Perle Fine

Perle Fine (b. 1905) was a prominent abstract expressionist known for her irregular geometric shapes intertwined with biomorphic forms, and combination of fluid and textured materials. One of the first women to join ‘The Club’, a male-dominated group of abstract expressionists, Fine fiercely held her position as a female artist breaking the gender boundaries of the art world.

Fine studied at Boston’s School of Practical Art, and the Grand Central School of Art. She later enrolled in the Arts Students League, working under the academic tutelage of Kimon Nicolaides. During the 1930s, she took classes with Hans Hofmann. In 1945, she had her first solo show at the Willard Gallery.

Fine’s work has been exhibited widely, including at Berry Campbell, New York; Gazelli Art House, London; and Hofstra, New York. Her work is held in various permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. She has been awarded the Arts and Letters Award for Excellence by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and received an Artist Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Fine died in 1988 in New York