Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977) was a unique artist whose work was deeply influenced by surrealism, magical realism, and her own dreams. Known for her stark landscapes and enigmatic portraits painted in oil, Abercrombie was a leading figure in the Chicago art scene. She was also closely connected to the city’s jazz community, counting legendary musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan among her friends.
Abercrombie’s upcoming exhibition, titled “Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery,” at the Carnegie Museum of Art promises to provide visitors with a comprehensive look at her highly personal and symbolic work. The exhibition will showcase artworks from various private and public collections, offering a rare opportunity to delve into the artist’s intricate and introspective creations.
Born in Austin, Texas, Abercrombie spent much of her life in Chicago, where she studied Romance languages at the University of Illinois before pursuing a course in commercial art at the American Academy of Art. Her artistic career took off in 1932, with support from the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (FPA/WPA), a program that provided economic relief to artists during the Great Depression.
Participating in the FAP/WPA from 1935 to 1940, Abercrombie exhibited her work widely in Chicago and beyond. Her paintings often featured recurring motifs such as solitary women, dead trees, doors, cats, towers, and shells, blending elements of reality with fantasy. Describing her work, Abercrombie once said, “Only mystery and fantasy have been added. All foolishness has been taken out. It becomes my own dream.”
One of Abercrombie’s most famous pieces, “Demolition Doors” (1964), showcases her symbolic style, with a black cat standing in front of a series of colorful panels that represent choices and thresholds. Throughout her career, Abercrombie associated some of her recurring symbols with a witch’s persona, occasionally embodying this identity through her fashion choices.
In her later years, health issues related to arthritis and alcoholism limited Abercrombie’s artistic output. Despite this, she continued to create thought-provoking works until her passing. A major retrospective of her work was held at the Hyde Park Art Center in the year of her death, and her legacy lives on through the Gertrude Abercrombie Trust, which distributes her work to cultural institutions across the Midwest.
The exhibition “Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery” opens in Pittsburgh on January 18 before traveling to the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine. This retrospective offers a unique opportunity to explore the enigmatic and evocative world of Gertrude Abercrombie’s artistry.
