Pat Steir

Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1938, Pat Steir studied art and philosophy at Boston University and received her BFA from the Pratt Institute in 1962. In 1963, she was invited to participate in her first group show at the High Museum in Atlanta. The next year, her work appeared in group exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, making her a key figure among the first wave of women artists to gain prominence in the New York art world.

In the mid-1960s, Steir was appointed an Art Director at Harper & Row publishers in New York. In the early 1970s she taught art at Parsons School of Design, Princeton University, and later at the California Institute of the Arts, where Ross Bleckner, David Salle, and Amy Sillman were among her students. She is a founding board member of Printed Matter, HERESIES: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics, and Semiotext(e).

Steir was lauded in the early 1970s for her canvases featuring various iconographic symbols—most prominently roses crossed out with ‘X’ figures, inspired by Shakespeare’s famous aphorism, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” and Gertrude Stein’s retort, “A rose is a rose is a rose.” Of this act of effacement, the artist explains, “I wanted to destroy images as symbols. To make the image a symbol for a symbol. I had to act it out―make the image and cross it out.” This series marks Steir’s first engagement with questions of representation and semantic signification, issues she continues to explore. She was compelled to search for her own praxis that was both painterly and theoretical. The influence of Conceptual art, French philosophy, and East Asian art and thought moved her to begin creating room-size installations in the mid-1970s.

In the late 1970s, Steir traveled extensively in the United States and Europe, where numerous galleries regularly presented her work. By the late 1980s, back in New York, Steir began to experiment with pouring and flinging layers of thinned paint onto canvas, releasing herself from conscious consideration of imagery and composition and allowing the indexical trace of her process to become the image itself. While her pouring process invites comparisons to Jackson Pollock, rather than laying her canvases on the floor, Steir paints from a ladder and works directly on unstretched canvas tacked to the studio wall. The delimited chance of this working method has since come to define Steir’s practice. Her painting methods incorporate delimited chance, with a studied and deliberate release of control developed through her study of Japanese and Chinese painting. Deeply inspired by Taoism and Buddhism, her working methods transcend the divide between figuration and abstraction. Intentionally deviating from the gestural flatness of the Abstract Expressionists, Steir instead explores a contemplative condition of unbound perception. In this way, she seeks to both portray and evoke a state of mind: rather than representing the sublimity of a waterfall or seascape, Steir’s paintings become charged spaces of transcendental content.

For five decades, Steir has exhibited widely in American and European museums. She recently completed two major suites of monumental, rigorous Waterfall projects: Silent Secret Waterfalls for the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia (2019) and Color Wheel for the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (2019–2021). Lévy Gorvy has shown her paintings with solo exhibitions in London (2016) and New York (2017), and in 2019 hosted Visible Traces (Mountain Air Water), an exhibition curated by Steir.

In 2013, the National Academy Museum, New York, exhibited Pat Steir: Blue River. In 2010, Drawing Out of Line traveled from the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, to Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York. In 2000, Dazzling Water, Dazzling Light traveled to the Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, and the Des Moines Art Center, among other venues. Steir created site-specific installations Likity Split and Ghost Moon Mountain Water in 1998 for the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, respectively. Other major exhibitions include: The Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (1994, 1996); Centre National d’Art Contemporain de Grenoble (1992); and Musée d’Art Contemporain de Lyon, France (1990), among others.

In 1988, Pat Steir Prints 1976–1988 opened at the Cabinet des Estampes, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva, and traveled to the Tate, London. The prior year, the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam presented Paintings 1981–1984; the Baltimore Museum of Art hosted Drawing Now: Pat Steir; and Kunstmuseum Bern opened Paintings and Drawings. In 1984, the Brooklyn Museum organized Pat Steir: The Brueghel Series (A Vanitas of Style), an exhibition that traveled to ten museums including the Dallas Museum of Art; Centre d’Art Contemporain, Palais Wilson, Geneva; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Des Moines Art Center; and the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, the Netherlands, among other venues. Form Illusion Myth: The Prints and Drawings of Pat Steir opened at the Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, in 1983 and traveled to the California State University, Long Beach; Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston; The Wellesley College Museum; and the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, Memphis.

Steir’s work has been included in hundreds of group shows and is held in the permanent collections of major museums worldwide including: Denver Art Museum; Fondation Cartier, Paris; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Louvre, Paris; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and Tate Gallery, London, among other institutions.

Steir is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship (1982), as well as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (1976, 1973). In 1991, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute, New York, and in 2001, she received the Boston University School for the Arts Distinguished Alumni Award. Steir received the Visionary Woman Award from the Moore College of Art & Design in 2015 and in 2016 was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts in Letters. In 2017, she was awarded the International Medal of Art by the United States Department of State.

Video

Pat Steir. "Drawing" (1991)

August 17, 2020

Exhibitions

"No Line on the Horizon"

Palm Beach

November 20 - December 5, 2021

Eternal Seasons: Part II 春華秋實：第二篇章

Hong Kong

April 28 - May 31, 2021

Pat Steir: Considering Rothko

Palm Beach

March 6 - April 4, 2021

Pat Steir: Waterfall Paintings on Paper

New York

August 17 - October 1, 2020

Visible Traces (Mountain Water Air)

New York

June 25 - August 16, 2019

Pat Steir: Kairos

New York

September 7 - October 21, 2017

Pat Steir

London

November 9, 2016 - January 28, 2017

Museum Exhibitions

Long Museum

Pat Steir

October 23, 2021 - January 3, 2022

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

Pat Steir: Color Wheel

October 24, 2019 - September 7, 2020

The Barnes Foundation

Pat Steir Silent Secret Waterfalls: The Barnes Series

January 16 - November 17, 2019

New Orleans Museum of Art

Ear to the Ground: Earth and Element in Contemporary Art

October 19, 2018 - August 31, 2019

Publications

Pat Steir, Silent Secret Waterfalls: The Barnes Series

2019

Pat Steir: Kairos

2017

Selected Press

CGTN | La exposición "El pulso de la modernidad" en Shanghai recorre un siglo de arte contemporáneo

November 26, 2021

El Museo Powerlong de Shanghai expone una colección de más de 150 pinturas chinas y occidentales. La …

Pat Steir

Pat Steir

Selected Works

Video

Pat Steir. "Drawing" (1991)

Pat Steir. "Drawing" (1991)

National Poetry Month—Pat Steir, 2020

Pat Steir 'For Hong Kong' Series, in Conversation with Mike Hearn of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Pat Steir: Kairos

Pat Steir: Kairos | Interview

Pat Steir at Dominique Lévy London

Pat Steir Panel Discussion

Exhibitions

"No Line on the Horizon"

Eternal Seasons: Part II 春華秋實：第二篇章

Pat Steir: Considering Rothko

Pat Steir: Waterfall Paintings on Paper

Visible Traces (Mountain Water Air)

Pat Steir: Kairos

Pat Steir

Museum Exhibitions

Pat Steir

Pat Steir: Color Wheel

Pat Steir Silent Secret Waterfalls: The Barnes Series

Ear to the Ground: Earth and Element in Contemporary Art

Publications

Pat Steir, Silent Secret Waterfalls: The Barnes Series

Pat Steir: Kairos

Selected Press

CGTN | La exposición "El pulso de la modernidad" en Shanghai recorre un siglo de arte contemporáneo

The Art Newspaper | How China's museums are cosying up to commercial galleries for big-ticket exhibitions

artnet news | 5 Institutions to Visit During Shanghai Art Week, Where Museum Shows of Western Contemporary Art Reflect Regional Demand

WHB China | 第九届ART021即将揭幕，艺术的饕餮盛宴里哪些菜式不容错过

Harper's Bazaar ART | 魏蔚：我对中国艺术市场一直充满信心！

Cc主义 | 帕特·斯蒂尔，83岁的杰出女性艺术家。

一条艺术 | 83岁的传奇女艺术家，亚洲首展来上海了！

Hi艺术 | 女性没有“抽象”基因？83岁的帕特·斯蒂尔这样回应

The Art Newspaper China | 当她的《蓝河》与黄浦江汇流：帕特·斯蒂尔以个展“再访”中国

Hypebeast | “Waterfalls & Clouds” Presents a Joint Body of Work From Ugo Rondinone and Pat Steir

Arte Fuse | Pat Steir & Ugo Rondinone: waterfalls & clouds at Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Maag Areal

Artsy | 5 Artists on the Influence of Mark Rothko

Widewalls | How Pat Steir Reinterprets The Legacy of Mark Rothko

The Wall Street Journal | New Art for a New Year

ART News | The 10 Best Art Documentaries of 2020

Curbed | Two Legendary NYC Artists in Their Once-Bohemian Village Garden

Haberarts | Her long black veil, Pat Steir: Waterfall Paintings on Paper at Lévy Gorvy New York

Galleries Now | Pat Steir: Waterfall Paintings on Paper

Air Mail: Arts Intel Report | Pat Steir: Waterfall Paintings on Paper

Art-Absolute | 控制与放弃，美国当代抽象艺术家帕特·斯蒂尔（Pat Steir）的“瀑布”

Weixin | 控制与放弃，美国当代抽象艺术家帕特·斯蒂尔（Pat Steir）的“瀑布”

T Magazine | My Favorite Artwork | Pat Steir

T Magazine | The Rembrandt Self-Portrait That Has Long Captivated Pat Steir

Vogue | In a New Documentary, Pat Steir Speaks for Herself

ARTnews | Powerful New Pat Steir Documentary Showcases Intrepid Painter’s Rich Mind

Improvised Life | Pat Steir: How To Occupy This Time On Earth

Artforum | Pat Steir

Brooklyn Rail | Pat Steir: Color Wheel

The Washington Post | At the Hirshhorn, Pat Steir’s ‘waterfall’ paintings move you — literally

The Art Press Asia | Interview with Pat Steir | How Abstract Art Represent the human mind?

Galerie Magazine | Look Inside Artist Pat Steir’s Treasure-Filled Townhouse in Greenwich Village

WideWalls | New Paintings by Pat Steir Transform the Hirshhorn Into a Color Whee

Art Forum | Interviews: Pat Steir

The Washingtonian | Things to Do in DC This Weekend (October 24-27): World Series Home Games, Modern Love, and Spooky Museum Events

Document Journal | 500 years, 400 artists, and 54 countries: ‘Great Women Artists’ is the most extensive collection of female created art yet

Town & Country | At 79, Pat Steir Just Completed Her Largest Installation to Date

Artnet | Kiki Smith Wrote Pat Steir a Fan Letter 30 Years Ago. Today, the Artists Reflect on Their Enduring—and Inspiring—Friendship

Garage | Pat Steir Is Reinventing the Color Wheel

DCist | 9 Art Exhibits To Explore In October

Barron's | Sotheby’s Auctioning Artworks by Ugo Rondinone and 14 Others to Benefit Cancer Research

Robb Report | Revered Artist Pat Steir Is Reinventing the (Color) Wheel in Her Latest Solo Exhibition

Artnet | Here Are 23 Outstanding Museum Shows Across the US That You Won’t Want to Miss This Fall

ArtNews | Gravity’s Rainbow: Hot on the Heels of Key Showcases, Painter Pat Steir Preps Major Washington, D.C. Exhibition

The New York Review of Books | The Flow of Chance: Pat Steir’s ‘Waterfall’ Paintings

Financial Times | Night of 100 Solos marked Merce Cunningham’s centenary at BAM, New York

Galerie Magazine | 5 Key Works from Pat Steir’s Remarkable Career

The New Yorker | The Exhibit That Painted Itself

Apollo | ‘The paint makes its own image’ – an interview with Pat Steir

The New York Times | Pat Steir Gets Discovered, Again

Apollo | Pat Steir: Silent Secret Waterfalls

de Young Museum | The Nature of Nature: Pat Steir’s "Black and White One-Stroke Waterfall"