Creator Record
Metadata
Name |
Kohlmeyer, Ida Rittenberg |
Notes |
Ida Rittenberg Kohlmeyer did not set out to be one of the most influential female artists of the South. In fact, Kohlmeyer discovered her love for creating art later in her life. Born in New Orleans in 1912, to Polish immigrants, Kohlmeyer attended Isidore Newman School where she lead an active on-campus life participating in cheerleading, golfing, and tennis. In 1929 she entered Newcomb College at Tulane University graduating in 1933 with a Bachelor’s degree in English literature. The following year she married businessman Hugh Kohlmeyer and began raising a family. It was while raising her family that Kohlmeyer began casually studying art. She took her first class at the John McCrady Art School in the French Quarter in 1947. So inspired by her passion for painting and drawing, she returned to her alma mater to pursue a master’s degree in fine arts fourteen years after graduating in literature. Upon her graduation in 1956, Kohlmeyer studied under Hans Hofmann, the foremost instructor in modernist theory. It was at Hofmann’s Provincetown art colony that Kohlmeyer had an artistic awakening. Hitherto, her work was largely representational with an emphasis on portraiture. Hofmann’s theory of "push and pull" which he described as the interdependent relationship between form, color, and space had a profound influence on Kohlmeyer’s work. As a result, she shifted from representational painting to abstract expressionism almost overnight. It was an experience she likened to being released from prison. Kohlmeyer’s transition into abstraction was further solidified when Mark Rothko arrived in New Orleans during the winter of 1957. Rothko, a leading Abstract Expressionist, came to New Orleans as a visiting artist at Tulane University. During his stay Rothko used the garage at Kohlmeyer’s childhood home as a studio and his visit had a tremendous impact on Kohlmeyer and her work. Kohlmeyer received the National Women’s Caucus for Art’s outstanding achievement award in 1980. She is represented in many prestigious collections such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Museum of Women in the Arts, High Museum of Art, and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston among others. She passed away in New Orleans on January 24, 1997. |
Nationality |
American |
Occupation |
Painting and sculpture |
