Nela Arias-Misson (September 8, 1915 – July 17, 2015) was a Cuban-born

abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

painter and sculptor. Nela Arias-Misson was a contemporary and friend of the 20th-century painters

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko (), born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz (russian: Ма́ркус Я́ковлевич Ротко́вич, link=no, lv, Markuss Rotkovičs, link=no; name not Anglicized until 1940; September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Latv ...

Willem de Kooning Willem de Kooning (; ; April 24, 1904 – March 19, 1997) was a Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist. He was born in Rotterdam and moved to the United States in 1926, becoming an American citizen in 1962. In 1943, he married painter El ...

Franz Kline Franz Kline (May 23, 1910 – May 13, 1962) was an American painter. He is associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement of the 1940s and 1950s. Kline, along with other action painters like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Robert Mot ...

Robert Motherwell Robert Motherwell (January 24, 1915 – July 16, 1991) was an American Abstract Expressionism, abstract expressionist Painting, painter, printmaker, and editor of ''The Dada Painters and Poets: an Anthology''. He was one of the youngest of th ...

Karel Appel Christiaan Karel Appel (; 25 April 1921 – 3 May 2006) was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s. He was one of the founders of the avant-gard ...

, Walasse Ting, and Antoni Tapies. She exhibited internationally and was connected to many established figures in the art world throughout her life. Her art synthesizes her experiences as an ahead-of-her-time, determined, female artist, linking abstract expressionism in Cuba, the United States, and Europe.

Biography

Early life and education

Nela Arias was born in Havana, Cuba on September 8, 1915. Her father, Amadeo Arias Rodriguez (who died when she was a child) and her mother, Sira Garcia Menendez, were from

Asturias, Spain Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive ...

. They owned tobacco plantations in Cuba and traveled back and forth to Spain until

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out and made trans-Atlantic travel impossible. As a result, they settled in Cuba. From early childhood, Nela Arias was fascinated by the world of art and even then started positioning herself to become a part of it. She studied with Armando Maribona (artist, journalist, professor at La Academia de Bellas Artes de San Alejandro and also Nela's relative) in Havana in the 1930s. Maribona was Nela's childhood mentor and no doubt helped nurture her artistic vocation.

Life in the United States

In 1941, Arias traveled to New York with her mother for medical treatment. They remained there several months and returned to Cuba by ship. On board, she met Willis Hesser Bird, a

Sears, Roebuck & Company Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began as ...

executive. Bird was a widower and had a six-year-old daughter, Barbara. They married in Havana two weeks later and moved to Haddonfield, New Jersey. Their daughter, Carole Bird, was born in Washington D.C. on August 9, 1942. Right after Carole was born, Willis Hesser Bird was called to serve in the US Army in the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

(precursor of the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

). After a brief time in Washington DC, he went overseas, serving in the China-Burma-India Theater. The Army moved Nela Arias, her mother, grandmother, Carole and Barbara to Sarasota, Florida, an option given to officers’ families during the war when no men were left at home. When the war ended, they all moved to New York City. Bird asked Nela to move the family to Thailand, where he chose to remain. She refused, deciding to stay in New York. Their marriage ended in 1949.

Career

In the mid-to-late 1940s, Nela Arias studied fashion design and art at the

Traphagen School of Fashion Traphagen School of Fashion was an art and design school in operation from 1923 to 1991, and was located at 1680 Broadway in New York City. The school was founded and directed by Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883–1963) with a focus on the foundational ...

, at the Hans Hofmann School, and

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 ...

of New York City. In 1949, she married New York lawyer Sidney Kraft. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1955. During these years, she studied with Italian-American sculptor

Leo Lentelli Leo Lentelli (20 October 1879 – 31 December 1961) was an Italian sculptor who immigrated to the United States. During his 52 years in the United States he created works throughout the country, notably in New York and San Francisco. He also taugh ...

and at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

, a formative school for the likes of

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a hor ...

Lee Krasner Lenore "Lee" Krasner (born Lena Krassner; October 27, 1908 – June 19, 1984) was an American abstract expressionist painter, with a strong speciality in collage. She was married to Jackson Pollock. Although there was much cross-pollination betw ...

Clement Greenberg Clement Greenberg () (January 16, 1909 – May 7, 1994), occasionally writing under the pseudonym K. Hardesh, was an American essayist known mainly as an art critic closely associated with American modern art of the mid-20th century and a formali ...

Robert Rauschenberg Milton Ernest "Robert" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter and graphic artist whose early works anticipated the Pop art movement. Rauschenberg is well known for his Combines (1954–1964), a group of artwor ...

Roy Lichtenstein Roy Fox Lichtenstein (; October 27, 1923 – September 29, 1997) was an American pop artist. During the 1960s, along with Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, and James Rosenquist among others, he became a leading figure in the new art movement. Hi ...

Helen Frankenthaler Helen Frankenthaler (December 12, 1928 – December 27, 2011) was an American abstract expressionist painter. She was a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work for over six decades (early 1950s u ...

and Cuban artist of Asturian background, Amelia Pelaez del Casal.

Provincetown

Nela Arias was a student of Hans Hofmann (one of the major exponents of Abstract Expressionism and a former teacher at the

) from 1957 to 1959. She became entrenched in the Provincetown, Massachusetts art community where she formed relationships and connected with internationally known figures such as

, and

. She developed a friendship with

, founder of the COBRA group. Nela Arias also became a close friend of Walasse Ting, an abstract-expressionist painter (with whom she collaborated on several works) known for authoring art books that included the participation of artists like

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

Tom Wesselmann Thomas K. Wesselmann (February 23, 1931 – December 17, 2004) was an American artist associated with the Pop Art movement who worked in painting, collage and sculpture. Early years Wesselmann was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati. From 1949 ...

James Rosenquist James Rosenquist (November 29, 1933 – March 31, 2017) was an American artist and one of the proponents of the pop art movement. Drawing from his background working in sign painting, Rosenquist's pieces often explored the role of advertising a ...

Asger Jorn Asger Oluf Jorn (3 March 1914 – 1 May 1973) was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International. He was born in Vejrum, in the northwest c ...

Pierre Alechinsky Pierre Alechinsky (born 19 October 1927) is a Belgian artist. He has lived and worked in France since 1951. His work is related to tachisme, abstract expressionism, and lyrical abstraction. Life Alechinsky was born in Schaerbeek. In 1944 he att ...

, Karel Appel, Kiki Kogelnik,

Joan Mitchell Joan Mitchell (February 12, 1925 – October 30, 1992) was an American artist who worked primarily in painting and printmaking, and also used pastel and made other works on paper. She was an active participant in the New York School of artis ...

, and

Sam Francis Samuel Lewis Francis (June 25, 1923 – November 4, 1994) was an American painter and printmaker. Early life Sam Francis was born in San Mateo, California,

. During these years Nela Arias showed at the

Provincetown Art Association The Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) is located at 460 Commercial Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is the most attended art museum on Cape Cod. The museum's permanent coll ...

and New Gallery in Provincetown and wins first prize at the

National Association of Women Artists The National Association of Women Artists, Inc. (NAWA) is a United States organization, founded in 1889 to gain recognition for professional women fine artists in an era when that field was strongly male-oriented. It sponsors exhibitions, awards ...

of the Argent Gallery in New York in 1959, from which she resigned, wanting to receive the same recognition that male artists did.

Europe

From 1961 to 1976 Nela lived in Europe, settling first in Ibiza and Barcelona and later in Madrid and Brussels. She had exhibitions in: Britain, Denmark, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and Spain. While living in Europe she met

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona i ...

, who was then living in Palma de Mallorca, and Josep Llorens i Artigas, Miro's collaborator. She also was introduced to the painters of El Paso Group by her friend, artist Antoni Tapies. The artists invited her to join their group, but Nela rejected their offer. She preferred working independently. In 1963, Nela married Belgian poet-novelist-artist, Alain Misson. When they married, they decided to combine their names, and from then on, both used the surname Arias-Misson. Alain Arias-Misson, a co-founder of the visual poetry movement, collaborated closely on projects and performances with artists

Joan Brossa Joan Brossa (; 19 January 1919 – 30 December 1998) was a Catalan poet, playwright, graphic designer and visual artist. He wrote only in the Catalan language. He was one of the founders of both the group and the publication known as Dau-al-Se ...

, Herminio Molero, and Ignacio Gomez de Liaño, with whom Nela became close friends. In 1970, Galería Céspedes of Cordoba and Cult-Art Gallery in Madrid were hosts to Nela's solo exhibitions. These galleries were known for exhibiting artists like

Manolo Valdes Manolo, a form of Manuel (name), is a male given name which may refer to: People: * Manolo Álvarez Mera (1923–1986), Cuban-born bel canto tenor * Manolo Badrena (born 1952), Puerto Rican percussionist *Manolo Blahnik (born 1942), Spanish fashi ...

, the Equipo Crónica,

Luis Eduardo Aute Luis Eduardo Aute Gutiérrez (13 September 1943 – 4 April 2020) was a Spanish musician, singer, composer, and film director. Biography First years in the Philippines Luis Eduardo Aute was born in Manila on 13 September 1943. His father, a Ca ...

, and Juan Antonio Guirado. In 1974, she and her husband had a joint exhibition at the Galeria Senatore in Stuttgart. The two also collaborated with Paul De Vree, Emile Kesteman, Carlfriedrich Clauss, and

Seiichi Niikuni was a Japanese poet and painting, painter. He was one of the foremost pioneers of the international avant-garde concrete poetry movement, creating works of calligraphic, visual and aural poetry. He is recognized as one of the most important poet ...

. In 1975, she participated in Phantomas, an exhibition of art and poetry at Musee d’Ixelles that included

Enrico Baj Enrico Baj (October 31, 1924 – June 15, 2003)June 15 according to the Guardian, June 17 according to the-artists.org was an Italian artist and writer on art. Many of his works show an obsession with nuclear war. He created prints, sculptur ...

Bram Bogart Bram Bogart (July 12, 1921 – May 2, 2012) was a Belgian expressionist painter most closely associated with the COBRA group. Early life and education Abraham van den Boogaart was born in Delft, the Netherlands, the son of Abraham van den Boogaa ...

Marcel Broodthaers Marcel Broodthaers (28 January 1924 – 28 January 1976) was a Belgian poet, filmmaker, and visual artist with a highly literate and often witty approach to creating art works. In 1943-1951 he was a member of a Communist party. Life and career ...

Jean Dubuffet Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet (31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French Painting, painter and sculpture, sculptor. His idealistic approach to aesthetics embraced so-called "low art" and eschewed traditional standards of beauty in favor of what ...

Lucio Fontana Lucio Fontana (; 19 February 1899 – 7 September 1968) was an Argentine-Italian painter, sculptor and theorist. He is mostly known as the founder of Spatialism. Early life Born in Rosario, to Italian immigrant parents, he was t ...

, and

Piero Manzoni Piero Manzoni di Chiosca e Poggiolo, better known as Piero Manzoni (July 13, 1933 – February 6, 1963) was an Italian artist best known for his ironic approach to avant-garde art. Often compared to the work of Yves Klein, his own work anticip ...

, among others.

Return to the United States

The Arias-Missons lived in Europe until 1976 when they returned to the United States, and moved to a rural part of New Jersey. Nela Arias-Misson continued to paint, but lived quietly and withdrew from the art world. She occasionally exhibited individual pieces in New York, Dallas, and Paris and Germany. In 1993 she was in an automobile accident that required many major surgeries on her left arm and she was no longer able to paint as before. In 1995 Nela moved to New York City where she lived until she made her final move in 2002 when she settled in Miami.

Legacy

Nela Arias-Misson died in Miami on July 17, 2015, just a few weeks short of her 100th birthday. Her remains rest in a niche at El Cementerio de la Iglesia de San Esteban de Covera, Aviles, Spain.

References

External links

* http://www.nelaariasmisson.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Arias-Misson, Nela 1915 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Cuban women artists 21st-century Cuban women artists Artists from Havana Traphagen School of Fashion alumni The New School alumni Artists from New York City Cuban emigrants to the United States Art Students League of New York alumni Abstract expressionist artists 20th-century Cuban painters 21st-century Cuban painters Cuban women painters Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes San Alejandro alumni