With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Katherine S. Dreier
Painting/Drawing, Patronage
1877 – 1952
Modernist artist and patron, Dreier was a co-founder of the Société Anonyme with Marcel Duchamp and early collector of modern art, now at the Yale Art Gallery.
- Biography/Description of Work
Katherine Dreier was born into a family active in social causes, and herself became a suffragette and art patron. Between 1895 and 1909, she studied at the Brooklyn Art Students League and Pratt Institute, as well as under Walter Shirlaw. Thereafter, with her parents’ inheritance she traveled, studied, collected and networked in Europe, returning back to the States in 1912. During this time, she was influenced by modernist European artists and abstract artwork, and her work was exhibited at the 1913 Armory Show in New York City. In 1920, together with artists Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray, she was a founder of the Société Anonyme to promote the various manifestations of modern art. It became a “museum without walls,” achieving its goal through lectures, presentations, and exhibitions, years before MoMA existed. Dreier, whose funding helped create the first collection of modern art, sought a permanent home for the museum without success. A resident of Redding, she eventually approached Yale University about funding and maintaining it, but Yale was interested only if she gifted her collection which she donated in 1941. In 1942, Dreier decided to sell her beloved home, ‘The Haven,’ in West Redding (technically Danbury), and in 1946 she moved to a new home, Laurel Manor, in Milford, Connecticut. In 1952, after years of failing health, Katherine Dreier died at her home.
- Sources view
- Heller and Heller: North American Women Artists of the 20th century, Dennis Puget: They All Lived in Redding, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Sophie_Dreier, http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/collections/highlights/katherine-s-dreier-papers-soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9-anonyme-archive, Katherine S. Dreier Obituary - New York Times - 1952-3-30, Katherine S. Dreier Wedding Article - New York Times - 1911-8-22, Katherine S. Dreier Wedding Article 2 - New York Times - 1911-8-25, Katherine S. Dreier Wedding Article 3 - New York Times - 1911-8-27, http://ctluxurycommercial.com/, http://ctluxurycommercial.com/Building_History.html; http://www.variant.org.uk/14texts/William_Clark.html; http://www.britannica.com/biography/Katherine-Dreier; http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/arts/27iht-modern.html
- Associated Resource(s)