Sylvia Sleigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sylvia Sleigh
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Self-Portrait at Belsize Square 1941
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| Born | 8 May 1916 |
| Died | 24 October 2010 (aged 94) New York City, NY
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| Nationality | Welsh-American |
| Education | Brighton School of Art |
| Known for | Painting |
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Notable work
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| Spouse(s) |
Lawrence Alloway
(m. 1954; died 1990) |
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Sylvia Sleigh (born May 8, 1916 – died October 24, 2010) was a talented painter. She was born in Wales but later became an American citizen. Sylvia lived and worked in New York City. She is famous for her realistic paintings and her important role in the feminist art movement. Her paintings often showed art critics, other feminist artists, and her husband, Lawrence Alloway.
Contents
About Sylvia Sleigh's Life
Early Years and Learning
Sylvia Sleigh was born in Llandudno, Wales, and grew up in England. She studied art at the Brighton School of Art. For a while, she worked in a clothing shop in Bond Street, London. Later, Sylvia opened her own business in Brighton, England. She made hats, coats, and dresses there. She closed her shop when World War II began.
In 1941, Sylvia moved to London and started painting again. She had her first art show in 1953 at the Kensington Art Gallery in London. Sylvia met her second husband, Lawrence Alloway, who was an art expert. They married in 1954 and moved to the United States in 1961. The next year, Lawrence became a curator (someone who manages art collections) at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.
Her Art and Supporting Women
Helping Women Artists
Sylvia Sleigh was a big supporter of women artists. In 1972, she helped find a place for a huge art show called Women Choose Women. This show featured over 100 artworks by women artists. It took place in New York City in 1973.
Sylvia also helped start an art gallery run only by women, called SOHO 20 Gallery (started in 1973). She later joined another women's art group called A.I.R. Gallery (started in 1972). Sleigh painted group pictures of the artists in both these groups. Her painting A.I.R. Group Portrait (1977–78) is a famous artwork. It shows how important women's art groups were during the feminist movement.
Some of the artists in A.I.R. Group Portrait include Nancy Spero and Howardena Pindell. Sylvia painted herself standing next to Howardena Pindell. From 1976 to 2007, Sylvia painted many portraits of women artists and writers. These included Helène Aylon and Catharine R. Stimpson.
In 2007, Sylvia was asked if things had gotten better for women in the art world. She said that while women had made progress in many jobs, it was still hard for women artists to find galleries to show their work. She believed more work was needed for men and women to be treated equally in art.
Later in her life, Sylvia bought or traded for over 100 artworks by other women. She showed her collection at the SOHO 20 Gallery in 1999. This collection included paintings and sculptures by many artists like Louise Bourgeois and Audrey Flack. In 2011, Sylvia Sleigh's collection was given to the Rowan University Art Gallery. It is now a main part of their art collection.
Invitation to a Voyage
In 2006, Sylvia Sleigh gave her largest painting to the Hudson River Museum. It is called Invitation to a Voyage: The Hudson River at Fishkill (1979–1999). This huge painting is 70 feet long and made of fourteen panels. It can cover two walls when shown.
Sylvia was inspired by older paintings that showed nature scenes. Her painting includes her husband, Lawrence Alloway, and many of their friends. Most of them were artists or art critics. They are shown picnicking, posing, and painting. All of this happens with the beautiful Hudson River and nearby woods in the background. The painting has two main parts, "Riverside" and "Woodside," which are shown facing each other. This makes viewers feel like they are part of the scene.
Awards and Exhibitions
Sylvia Sleigh's art was shown in many places. Between 1953 and 2010, she had over 45 solo exhibitions. These were held at colleges, art galleries, and museums. Some famous places included the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Butler Institute of American Art. After she passed away, her art was shown in a traveling exhibition in Europe from 2012 to 2013.
Her paintings are also part of the permanent collections of major museums. These include the National Portrait Gallery in London and the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Sylvia also taught art at several universities. She taught at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the New School for Social Research. She received important grants for her work, like one from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1982.
In 2008, Sylvia Sleigh received the Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement. This award was given by the College Art Association. In 2011, she also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Caucus for Art. Sylvia Sleigh passed away in October 2010 after having a stroke.
Her work was also featured in the 2022 exhibition Women Painting Women at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
