1912-1997
Ida Kohlmeyer
mixed media
Known as Louisiana’s most renowned artist, Kohlmeyer didn’t receive her MFA until 1956. She later studied under Hans Hofmann and he influenced her decision to give up representational art for abstraction. In the Seventies, she developed a style using large elliptical shapes with softened edges, greatly influenced by Mark Rothko. “Cluster No.25” was created in that period. She eventually developed her own vocabulary of hieroglyphs, shapes, and signs, all organized in a loose grid. Her style continued to evolve throughout her career. “Cluster No.25” is an unsigned work and it wasn’t until the gallery researched its provenance by going to the Smithsonian Museum archives, that it was definitively proven to be her work.
