Eleanore Mikus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eleanore Mikus
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Mikus in the 1960s
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| Born | July 25, 1927 |
| Died | September 6, 2017 (aged 90) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Conceptual art, Humanist |
| Awards | Guggenheim Fellow |
Eleanore Mikus (born July 25, 1927 – died September 6, 2017) was an American artist. She started painting in the late 1950s. Her early style was called Abstract Expressionism. By the early 1960s, she made paintings using one main color. These often had geometric patterns. Her art looked a bit like "Minimalist" art. But it still showed a lot of emotion.
In 1969, Mikus began painting simple, cartoon-like images. These were bold and colorful. They were ahead of their time, like the Neo-Expressionism style of the 1980s. In the mid-1980s, Mikus returned to her abstract art. Since 1961, she also created unique art by folding paper. The folds themselves became important lines and textures in her artwork.
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Life Story
Eleanore Mikus was born in Detroit. She loved art from a young age. She won an art prize in kindergarten. In high school, she took art classes in Detroit. She studied art and art history at Michigan State University. In 1950, she traveled in Germany and Austria.
Mikus returned to the United States in 1953. She finished her art degree in 1957. She later earned a master's degree in Asian Art History in 1967. Mikus lived in New York City for many years. She taught at Cooper Union in New York starting in 1971. From 1973 to 1976, she lived and taught in England. In 1979, she moved to Ithaca, New York. She kept her art studio in New York City. Mikus taught at Cornell University until she retired in 1994.
Art Career
Mikus had her first art show in New York in 1960. She showed paintings with geometric shapes. These were on canvases made of different sections. The lines where the canvases joined became part of the art. In 1963, she showed her art in Boston.
Later, in New York, she made paintings using only black, white, or gray. She painted on uneven surfaces made from wood pieces. She painted and sanded these many times. This made the color look like a skin over the bumpy surface. These artworks were called "Tablets." Light and shadow played on their surfaces, making them feel alive.
Her show in New York also marked the start of her "paperfolds." This is what she called her folded paper artworks. For a show announcement, she folded a piece of paper seven times. She opened it and used it as the flyer. From then on, folding paper became a big part of her art.
In 1964, Mikus showed her art again in New York. Her work was becoming well-known. A famous art curator, Dorothy Miller, chose one of Mikus's white "Tablet" paintings. It became part of the Museum of Modern Art's collection in New York. In 1966, Mikus won a special award called a Guggenheim Fellowship.
In the late 1960s, Mikus changed her art style. She started making cartoon-like paintings. These showed boats, planes, trains, and dragons. Many people thought her work was very new and different. Some saw her art as being inspired by Eastern ideas. An art gallery owner, Ivan Karp, showed her work. Mikus had four solo shows there between 1971 and 1974. These paintings looked like Neo-Expressionist art. But Mikus made them much earlier.
By the early 1980s, Mikus returned to making abstract art. She worked on canvas and made larger paperfolds. In 2006-2007, she had a big exhibition in New York. She showed 245 artworks from 1959 to 2006.
Artistic Inspirations
Mikus felt connected to artists who wanted to create pure and simple art. Some of these artists were Ben Nicholson, Paul Klee, and Piet Mondrian. She also admired Louise Nevelson and Ad Reinhardt. Mikus once said, "Starting with something small, just a line, and making something big – that’s what it’s all about. From just a small line, a fold, you can make the rest of your life. That’s what I have done." This shows how she saw big possibilities in small actions.
Awards and Honors
- In 1966-1967, Mikus received a Guggenheim Fellowship for Painting.
- In 1968, she earned a Tamarind Fellowship for Lithography.
- In 1969, Mikus was a McDowell Fellow for Painting.
- In 1988, she received the Dean's Fund of Excellence from Cornell University.
- In 2004, Mikus got a Yaddow Grant for Drawing/Painting. During her two-month stay, she created 40 artworks.
Art in Collections
Eleanore Mikus's art is kept in many important museums. These include:
- The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
- The Museum of Modern Art in New York
- The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City
Recent Exhibitions
Eleanore Mikus's art continues to be shown.
- In 2021, she had a solo exhibition at Levy Gorvy Gallery in New York.
- Her abstract prints were shown in 2020-2021 at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
- Her art was featured at Frieze New York Spotlight in May 2019.
- She had a solo show in 2018 at the Marc Selwyn Fine Art Gallery in Beverly Hills, California.
- In 2017, she showed paintings and paperfolds from the 1960s at the Craig F. Starr Gallery in New York City.
- Mikus was in a group show in 2016 at the David Zwirner Gallery.
- In 2011, she was part of a group show called 43 Aspects of Drawing in England.
- In 2010, Mikus had group shows in New York City and Zurich, Switzerland.
- In 2009, the Arnot Art Museum showed her paintings and paperfolds in a three-person show.
- In 2008, her paperfolds were shown in a solo show at the Marlborough Gallery in New York City.
- Also in 2008, her work was in a group show at the Blanton Museum of Art in Texas.
