Eleanor Coen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eleanor Coen
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Eleanor Coen with her work
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| Born | October 21, 1916 Normal, Illinois
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| Died | July 9, 2010 (aged 93) Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Art Institute of Chicago |
| Known for | 20th century color lithography and painting |
| Spouse(s) | Max Kahn |
| Awards | Philadelphia Print Club (1952) American Color Print Society 1953 James Nelson Raymond Traveling Fellowship at SAIC |
Eleanor Coen (born October 21, 1916 – died July 9, 2010) was an important American painter. She was known for her colorful lithographs and paintings. Eleanor Coen was a leading artist in Chicago during the 1940s and 1950s.
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About Eleanor Coen
Eleanor Coen was born in Normal, Illinois. She studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Later, she also taught there. Her teachers included famous artists like Boris Anisfeld and Max Kahn. She married Max Kahn in 1942.
Eleanor Coen started her art career during the Great Depression. This was a time when many people struggled. She and Max Kahn worked with a government program called the Federal Arts Project. This program helped artists create new works.
They helped develop a new way of making art called color lithography. This is a special printing technique. Eleanor Coen's art was inspired by city scenes and her travels. She painted people in her unique figurative expressionist style.
Early Career and Mexico
From 1939 to 1940, Eleanor Coen was a student at the Art Institute of Chicago. She joined the Federal Art Project in Chicago. She shared a studio with Max Kahn and other artists. They worked on new ways to create color lithographs. This was a new idea at the time.
In 1941, Eleanor Coen won a big award called the James Nelson Raymond Traveling Fellowship. She was the first woman to win it. The prize money was $2000. Winners usually traveled to Europe. But because of World War II, Eleanor and Max went to Mexico instead.
They drove to Mexico with their friend, artist Julio de Diego. In Mexico City, they stayed with their friend Alfredo Zalce. He helped start a famous art workshop called the Taller De Grafica Popular (TGP). Eleanor Coen was the first woman to work for the TGP.
She and Max were active members of the TGP. They influenced other artists in Chicago to visit Mexico. Eleanor Coen also painted a large mural in Mexico. It is still in a school courtyard in San Miguel de Allende. This mural and the school are now national monuments.
Life and Art After the War
After the war began, Eleanor and Max returned to Chicago. They got married in 1942. They visited Mexico many more times. They traveled through the Yucatán region.
Eleanor Coen also taught at the SAIC Ox-Bow summer art school. She worked there with artist Francis Chapin. Eleanor and Max painted in many places. These included San Francisco, Blackhawk Colorado, and Santa Fe. They also had a studio on Martha's Vineyard.
Eleanor Coen had a long and successful career. She was a leader in printmaking and oil painting. Her art is in many collections and museums. These include the Art Institute of Chicago and the Smithsonian Institution.
She won many awards for her work. These included prizes from the American Color Print Society and the Philadelphia Print Club. Many people called her one of the best painters in Chicago during the 1940s and 1950s.
Where to See Her Art
Eleanor Coen's artwork is displayed in important museums. You can find her pieces at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Her work is also at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Images for kids
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Eleanor Coen "Yellow Sky" 1962
