Morris Hirshfield
Morris Hirshfield (1872–1946) was a Polish-American painter. He "is considered one of the most critically acclaimed self-taught artists of the 20th century" according to the J. Paul Getty Museum.[1]
Morris Hirshfield | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1872 |
| Died | 1946 New York City, New York, USA |
| Nationality | Jewish-American |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Contemporary Art |
Life
Hirshfield was born in Poland, but emigrated to the United States at the age of eighteen. He found employment at a women's coat factory; later, he founded a business with his brother, first manufacturing women's coats, then women's slippers. He retired in 1935 due to failing health.[2]
Hirshfield began to paint in 1937. He was soon championed by gallerist Sidney Janis, who had a great interest in self-taught artists. Janis included some of Hirshfield's works in a 1939 exhibition, Contemporary Unknown American Painters, and a 1942 book, They Taught Themselves: American Primitive Painters of the 20th Century.[3] His painting found favor in surrealist circles; he was lauded by André Breton,[4] and was a participant in the first American surrealist exhibition, First Papers of Surrealism, in 1942.[3]
He received a one-man show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1943.[2] The show occasioned some negative criticism; Art Digest referred to Hirshfield as "The Master of Two Left Feet",[5] and the bad press the show received figured into the demotion of MoMA's director, Alfred H. Barr Jr.[3]
Hirshfield died in New York City in 1946.[1]
Work
Only 77 works were created by Hirschfield during his career.[4] His heavily patterned work, featuring women or animals, is often reminiscent of textiles, perhaps as a legacy of his first career.[3]
Exhibitions
- Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered, American Folk Museum, New York, 2022–23
References
- "ULAN Full Record Display (Getty Research)". www.getty.edu. Retrieved 2020-12-19.
- Borum, Jenifer P. "Morris Hirshfield". Outsider Art Fair. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- Nykolak, Jenevive. "Morris Hirshfield". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Morris Hirshfield". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- "Morris Hirshfield". The Great Cat. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
