Martha Visser't Hooft (née Hamlin) (1906-1994) was an American painter and teacher. She was known for her modernist paintings, as well as contributions to artists societies in Buffalo, NY.

Early life

Visser't Hooft (née Hamiln) was born in Buffalo, NY, to a family of wealthy intellectuals. Deeply involved in all aspects of civic life, her parents, Chauncey J. Hamlin and Emily Gray Hamlin, had interests and involvements including the arts and sciences as well as activism and community service.

Education

Visser't Hooft left for Paris in 1920 to study art at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

. She left for New York in 1926 to study at the

Parsons School of Design Parsons School of Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is a private art and design college located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhatt ...

, shortly after switching to the John Murray Anderson School of Theater Design. During this time, she had an affair with the Russian artist Boris Grigoriev, although there are conflicting reports of whether this happened in New York or Paris.

Early career

Following her schooling, Visser't Hooft travelled with her parents and sister, Mary Hamlin Goodwin, to Taos, New Mexico in 1928. Ultimately, her sister would settle in Taos with her family, where she would become a member of the Taos Art Colony. Visser't Hooft subsequently returned on several occasions to visit her, meeting artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Andrew Dasburg, and Frieda Lawrence. At this time, she also made several paintings of the landscape.

Mid-career

In 1933, Visser’t Hooft co-founded the Patteran Society, created as a progressive arts society in Buffalo. Through the late 1940s and 1950s, her work exhibited internationally through the Contemporary Arts Gallery in New York. From 1956 to 1958 she taught at the University of Buffalo.

Late career

A solo retrospective of Visser't Hooft's paintings and drawings was held in 1973 at the Charles Burchfield Center. Her work was later exhibited in the same venue as part of a Patteran Society group show in 1975. In 1991, a major retrospective of her works was held at the David Anderson Gallery in Buffalo. For this show an illustrated catalogue was produced by The Poetry/Rare Books Collection and The State University of New York at Buffalo. Essays were contributed by Robert J. Bertholf and Albert L. Michaels, and included commentary by the artist.

Collections

Visser't Hooft's paintings are collected across the United States. Public collections include the

Albright Knox Art Gallery The Buffalo AKG Art Museum, formerly known as the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, is an art museum at 1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York, in Delaware Park. the museum's Elmwood Avenue campus is temporarily closed for construction. It hosted e ...

, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the

Burchfield Penney Art Center The Burchfield Penney Art Center, or just the Burchfield Penney, is an arts and educational institution part of Buffalo State College, located adjacent to the main campus in Buffalo, New York, United States. Dedicated to the art and vision of ...

, and the Columbia Museum of Art.

Personal life

Visser't Hooft married

Franciscus Visser 't Hooft Franciscus is a Latin given name, originally an epithet meaning "the Frank, the Frenchman". It was applied to Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/82–1226). Francis had been baptized Giovanni (John); his father was Italian and his mother Proven ...

, a Dutch chemist, in 1928. They had three children.

Legacy

Her archives are held by the

in Buffalo, NY.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vissert Hooft, Martha 1906 births 1994 deaths American women painters Artists from Buffalo, New York Académie Julian alumni Modern painters 20th-century American women artists