With the increasing popularity of Joan Mitchell in the art market, this female artist, who was active during the 1950s to 1980s, has gradually got people's attention. Joan Mitchell is regarded as the representative artist of the second generation of American abstract expressionist painter. Especially in the patriarchal society, few female artists have been affirmed by men. However, Joan Mitchell stood out, and she even joined the mainstream artist group. Her achievements in abstract expressionism are worth examining.
Born into a wealthy family in 1925, Joan Mitchell had been influenced by her parents since childhood. She inherited her mother's talents and she showed her enthusiasm for art while she was pretty young. Her mother, a poet, writer, and editor, sparked her lifelong interest in poetry. In addition, Joan Mitchell who came from a rich family did not have to worry about financial problems, allowing her to concentrate on the creative world.
After graduating from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1947, Mitchell spent her travel scholarships moving to New York. At first, she wanted to learn from Hans Hofmann. But Mitchell found out she couldn't understand a word he said and she attended only one class. In the 1950s, the New York School which featured abstract expressionism swept America. Mitchell happened to grab a chance to admire the works of Arshile Gorky and Jackson Pollock in museums and galleries. During her time in Paris, her work went mature and abstract.
Abstract expressionists usually used “unconscious” to express inner feelings, while Mitchell preferred “landscapes”. As she said, “Abstract is not a style. I simply want to make a surface work. This is just a use of space and form: it's an ambivalence of forms and space.” She focused on the natural environment and the surroundings. Mitchell's style gradually matured. Most of Mitchell’s paintings are large sizes. In the late 1960s, she started to use two, three, even four panels to paint. Imagining a little woman painting hard on a large canvas, you will know how great is she.
In the 1950s, it was rare that Joan Mitchell was able to join the Eighth Street Club as a female artist. She met several artists such as Conrad Marca-Relli, Willem de Kooning, and Franz Kline. The club had provided excellent support for abstract expressionists. In 1951, Joan Michel participated in the "Ninth Street Art Exhibition" curated by Leo Castelli. The exhibition was a great success and became a groundbreaking in the art history. The art masters had participated in it, such as Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, and Hans Hofmann. Afterward, Mitchell began her career in New York, Paris, and Europe. She then was invited to hold solo exhibitions. In 2002, Whitney Museum held a retrospective exhibition for Mitchell, setting an important milestone for her.
Just in May of this year, Mitchell's “Blueberry, 1969” has sold for $16.6 million (about NT$ 500 million) at Christie's New York, setting the artist’s auction record. The last record was at Christie's New York in 2014. Her "Untitled, 1960" has sold for about $ 12 million (about NT$ 360 million). In addition to her outstanding achievements in the auction market, Hauser & Wirth Gallery has sold her "Composition, 1969" to a European private collector for $14 million (about NT$ 420 million) at Art Basel this year.
Mitchell's work is part of many public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, the New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; the Tate Modern, London; the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
After Joan Mitchell passed away, some founded the Joan Mitchell Foundation in 1993. It was established to promote and preserve the artist's heritage. The Joan Mitchell Foundation collected a large number of Mitchell's artworks, photographs, articles and other materials. In addition, it provided artists assistance and grants.
This year the David Zwirner Gallery announced they cooperate with the Joan Mitchell Foundation and exclusively represent the artist in May. Also, they will hold a solo exhibition in 2019. In addition, the Baltimore Museum of Art is expected to host a large retrospective of Joan Mitchell in 2020. The exhibition will tour the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, displaying over 100 artworks of Mitchell. It will be twice the number of works exhibited in the previous retrospective exhibition in Whitney Museum in 2002.
Figure 1: Joan Mitchell, Untitled, 1970. Ink, gouache and pastel on paper, 29 1/2 x 21 3/4 inches (74.9 x 55.2 cm). Collection of the Joan Mitchell Foundation, New York. © Estate of Joan Mitchell.
Figure 2 top left: Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sander
Figure 2 top middle: Joan Mitchell, Champs (Black, Gray and Yellow), 1991–92. Color lithograph, 30 x 22 1/8 inches. 125 + proofs, Collection of the Joan Mitchell Foundation, New York. © Estate of Joan Mitchell.
Figure 2 top right: Joan Mitchell, Tilleul, 1978. Oil on canvas, 260 x 180 cm. Pairs Centre Pompidou Collection. © Estate of Joan Mitchell.
Figure 2 bottom: Joan Mitchell, Untitled, 1979. Oil on canvas (triptych), 76 3/4 x 153 1/2 inches (194.9 x 389.9 cm). Private Collection. © Estate of Joan Mitchell.
