Mercedes Matter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mercedes Matter
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| Born |
Mercedes Carles
1913 |
| Died | December 4, 2001 (aged 87–88) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Arthur B. Carles (father), Bennett College, Maurice Sterne, Alexander Archipenko, Hans Hofmann |
| Known for | Painting, Drawing, Educator |
| Movement | Abstract Expressionism |
| Spouse(s) |
Herbert Matter
(m. 1939; died in 1984) |
Mercedes Matter (born Mercedes Carles; 1913 – 2001) was an American painter, artist, and writer. She helped start the American Abstract Artists group. She also founded the New York Studio School, a famous art school.
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Early Life and Art Beginnings
Mercedes Matter was born in 1913. Her father, Arthur Beecher Carles, was a modern American painter. He even studied with the famous artist Henri Matisse. Her mother, Mercedes de Cordoba, was a model for photographer Edward Steichen. Mercedes grew up in places like Philadelphia, New York City, and different countries in Europe.
She started painting with her father when she was just six years old. She remembered getting a paintbox to use while they worked together in the French countryside. After her parents divorced in 1926, Mercedes went to various private schools. When she was 12, she lived in Italy for over two years. She later said this time in cities like Venice, Assisi, Rome, and Florence was very important for her art education.
Learning from Art Masters
Mercedes continued her art studies at Bennett College in Millbrook, NY. There, she learned from sculptor Lu Duble. She also studied in New York City with artists like Maurice Sterne, Alexander Archipenko, and Hans Hofmann.
Starting Her Art Career
In the late 1930s, Mercedes Matter became a founding member of the American Abstract Artists group. This group focused on abstract art, which uses shapes, colors, and forms instead of realistic images. She also worked for the Works Progress Administration, a government program that supported artists during the Great Depression.
Mercedes worked with the artist Fernand Léger on a large painting for a French shipping company. They became close friends and worked on another painting together. Léger introduced her to Herbert Matter, a Swiss graphic designer and photographer. Mercedes and Herbert married in 1939. Léger even lived with them for a year, sharing their art studio.
Connecting with Other Artists
The Matters were very active in the growing art scene in New York City. They became good friends with many important artists of their time. These friends included Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline, Philip Guston, Alexander Calder, and Willem de Kooning. Being around these artists was very important for their own work.
In 1943, the Matters moved to California. Mercedes had a young son at this time. She felt that being away from New York was affecting her art, so she returned to New York in 1946.
Teaching and Founding an Art School
Mercedes Matter was also a dedicated teacher. Starting in 1953, she taught at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) for ten years. Then, she taught at the Pratt Institute for another ten years. She also taught at New York University and was a visiting critic at many other art schools.
The New York Studio School
In 1964, Mercedes Matter founded the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting, and Sculpture. A year before, she wrote an article for ARTnews magazine. In it, she said that art schools were not spending enough time on long studio classes. She believed these classes were key for artists to truly develop their senses.
Her article inspired a group of art students to ask her to start a new school based on her ideas. The school began in a loft on Broadway. It quickly received support from foundations like the Kaplan Fund, Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III, and the Ford Foundation.
The New York Studio School was unique. It did not give out degrees. It focused only on studio classes and emphasized drawing from real life. Early teachers, chosen by the students, included artists like Philip Guston and Bradley Walker Tomlin, and art historian Meyer Schapiro. The school continues to train new artists today.
Later Life and Legacy
The Matters lived on Macdougal Alley for many years. Herbert Matter had a studio in one of the small buildings there. These buildings were once the first home of what is now the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Later in life, the Matters moved to Long Island. Mercedes faced a serious illness in 1979. Her husband, Herbert, became very ill and passed away in 1984. Mercedes later said that after his death, she coped by working very hard. This period became like a "harvest" of all her years of effort in art.
She continued to teach at the Studio School every other week. She remained very involved in its growth and development. Besides her art and teaching, she wrote articles about other artists, including Hans Hofmann, Franz Kline, and Alberto Giacometti. She also wrote the text for a book of her husband's photographs of Giacometti, which was published in 1987.
Mercedes Matter's artwork is part of the collection at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She passed away on December 4, 2001.
