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Paintings by Grandma Moses, August 31-October 13, 1957

 Sub-Series

Scope and Contents

An exhibition of 34 paintings by American artist Grandma Moses, intended to represent the best of her work.
The exhibition records span five folders and include an artist biography, price list, planning correspondence, registration receipts, and shipping information, plus a catalog and object photographs.

Dates

  • Creation: August 31-October 13, 1957

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The price list must be redacted before viewing.

Biographical / Historical

Anna Mary Robertson Moses (September 7, 1860-December 13, 1961), or Grandma Moses, was an American folk artist. She began painting in earnest at the age of 78 and gained popularity during the 1950s, having been featured on a cover of Time Magazine in 1953, was a subject of numerous television programs and of a 1950 Oscar-nominated biographical documentary. Her autobiography, titled My Life's History, was published in 1952. She was also awarded two honorary doctoral degrees. She was a live-in housekeeper for a total of 15 years, starting at age 12. An employer noticed her appreciation for their prints made by Currier and Ives and supplied her with drawing materials. Moses and her husband began their married life in Virginia, where they worked on farms. In 1905, they returned to the Northeastern United States and settled in Eagle Bridge, New York. They had ten children, five of whom survived infancy. She embroidered pictures with yarn, until disabled by arthritis. She died aged 101 in 1961. Moses' work has been a subject of numerous museum exhibitions worldwide and has been extensively merchandised, such as on greeting cards. In 2006, her 1943 painting titled Sugaring Off was sold at Christie's New York for US$1.2 million, setting an auction record for the artist.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandma_Moses

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet (The exhibition records span five folders plus a catalog and object photographs.)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Abstract

An exhibition of 34 paintings by American artist Grandma Moses, intended to represent the best of her work. The exhibition records span five folders plus a catalog and object photographs.

Related Exhibitions

de Young: Allied Arts Guild of California, Ltd. (1933)
de Young: Samplers and Embroidered Pictures from the Collections of Alexander Barta and the Museum (1940)
de Young: Old Samplers from Europe and America (1942)
Legion of Honor: The Work of Marguerite and William Zorach: Sculpture, Paintings, and Embroideries (1946)
Legion of Honor: Paintings by Grandma Moses (1948)
Legion of Honor: Thirty Americans, 1700-1900 (1950)
de Young: Mariska Karasz: Abstractions in Thread (1952)
de Young: Paintings by Grandma Moses (1952)
Legion of Honor: Early American Folk Sculpture (1954)
Legion of Honor: Paintings by Grandma Moses (1957)
de Young: Stitchery by Jean Ray Laury (1962)
de Young: The Flowering of American Folk Art 1776-1876 (1974)
de Young: American Folk Art: A Sampling from Northern California Collections (1987)
de Young: Treasures of American Folk Art from the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center (1990)
de Young: American Folk Art (2007)
de Young: Beyond the Surface: Worldwide Embroidery Traditions (2017)

Separated Materials

The Bulletin of the California Palace of the Legion of Honor Vol. 15, No. 5 served as the exhibition catalog and is in the Legion of Honor Exhibition Catalog collection in box 1. Object photograph prints and negatives are housed in the Legion of Honor Exhibition Photograph collection in box 20.

Repository Details

Part of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Archives Repository

Contact:
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr
San Francisco California 94118 USA