Elizabeth Thompson - Forty Years of Painting

Elizabeth Thompson Forty Years of Painting

C O R A L S P R I N G S M U S E U M of A R T

Elizabeth Thompson Forty Years of Painting

Essays by Bonnie Clearwater and Bruce Helander

Elizabeth Thompson Forty Years of Painting

Coral Springs Museum of Art, Florida

Contents

December 2018 – March 2019

This book was published on the occasion of the exhibition:

Coral Springs Museum of Art

Elizabeth Thompson, Forty Years of Painting

2855 Coral Springs Dr, Coral Springs, FL 33065

Coral Springs Museum of Art, Coral Springs, Florida

coralspringsmuseum.org

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Coral Springs Museum of Art - Board of Directors: President: Michael Monas Vice President: Laurette Homan All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

Vice President: Terry Boccard

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in

Treasurer: Jeffrey York

any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,

Secretary: Dae Gilmer

including photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the

Carrie Berman, Amy DiPetrillo, Janet Gold,

prior written permission of the artist.

Beth Katz, Phil Lynch, Kevin Radtke, Nicole Roman Liaison - City Commissioner: Joy Carter

With appreciation and gratitude for their hard work on this exhibition and book:

for the City of Coral Springs: James Hickey Coral Springs Museum of Art - Museum Staff:

Curator: Bruce Helander

Executive Director: Julia B. Andrews

Designer: Dan Ellis

Development Director: Gabrielle Grundy-Lester

Editor: Susan Hall

Programs and Education Manager: Brittany Curtis

Coordinator: Karene Telesca

Financial Administrator: Ernesto A. Ospina

Photo Finishing: Joseph Charles McCandless

Guest Services Associate

Photography: Jerry Rabinowitz

Guest Services: Natasha Ramirez

Photography: Tim Pyle

This page: Photograph by Richard Thompson, Paris, 1976.

Photography: Kevin Noble

Front cover: Purple Sky, Everglades National Park (detail), 2018,

Framing and Stretching: Valerie Solaas

Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 85 in. (182.88 x 215.9 cm).

Title Page: Purple Chairs (detail), 2014, Oil on canvas, 48 x 75 in.

A special thank you to the collectors who generously

(121.92 x 190.5 cm)

lent paintings for this show. I would also like to thank

Inside front and back cover: View of Elizabeth Thompson:

my lucky stars - you know who you are.

Forty Years of Painting, Coral Springs Museum of Art, 2018.

Photographs by Kim Sargent.

www.elizabeththompsonart.com

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II. Paris, 1980–1984

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Every Picture Tells a Story

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III. Pools, 1986–1991

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IV. Murals, 1975–2000

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V. Africa, 1996–2001

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VI. Everglades, 2002–

83

VII. Modern Interventions

91

VIII. Movie Theatres

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IX. Road Trip

by Bruce Helander

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X. Beautiful Disasters

125

XI. Parkland, 17 Migrating Birds

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Curriculum Vitae

and Social Media Specialist: Fiorella Lavena

Photography: James Dee

Printed in Belgium.

by Bonnie Clearwater

Liaison - Assistant Dir. of Development Services

Executive Director: Julia B. Andrews

Interior Photography: Kim Sargent

I. Beaches, 1976–1979

Enchanted Forest

December 6, 2018 – March 2, 2019 Copyright © 2018 Elizabeth Thompson

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Elizabeth Thompson’s

Bonnie Clearwater

Elizabeth Thompson’s Enchanted Forest Portrait of the artist, 2006, Hollywood Dome, Everglades National Park.

fragile environment. Her initial paintings reveal her rever-

In some of her recent paintings, Thompson turned

ence for nature and its regenerative power. For Richard,

away from the faithful representation of nature to produce

Grand Nurse Log (named for her late husband), for instance,

surreal scenes of movie theaters that inexplicably intrude

is a painting of a felled cypress tree that nourishes new

into the Everglades. In her Movie Theaters series of 2014,

plant life even in its death. With the precision of a botanist,

the viewer stumbles upon the silvery light of a glowing

Thompson faithfully documented the flora she encoun-

movie screen illuminating a makeshift theater comprised

tered. The specificity of these landscapes transcends

of colorful modern chairs arranged in perfectly aligned

the generic, and consequentially heightens the viewer’s

rows. Devoid of an audience, the subject is a post-

concern for the fate of each individual lush panorama

lapsarian Cinema Paradiso from which humans have been

Thompson paints. However natural, her early composi-

vanquished or annihilated.

tions bordered on the abstract. By eliminating the horizon

The eerie mood that pervades Thompson’s Movie

from her compositions, these paintings are essentially flat,

Series paintings is carried over into her Beautiful Disasters

tangled skeins of hanging moss, interlaced branches, or

series, in which ominous storm clouds eclipse the

undulating palm fronds suggestive of the dripped gestures

intense blue sky and barrel down on the earth. Unlike

of Jackson Pollock’s overall abstract canvases. The pond

the crisply delineated landscapes of her earlier paint-

in Water Lilies, 1998, similarly flattens the picture plane by

ings, the stained pigment Thompson uses in the Beautiful

tilting its surface toward the viewer as in Claude Monet’s

Disasters canvases produces amorphous, abstract shapes

impressionistic depictions of the same subject. In this

that contribute to the subject’s mystery, as well as to

painting, sky is married to earth through its reflection in

the sublimity of the scene. The dread that permeates

the water, a compositional element Thompson frequently

the Beautiful Disasters paintings becomes all too real in

repeats to suggest the balance of the yin yang.

Seventeen Migrating Birds, Parkland, 2018. The advance

During her long sojourn in South Florida, Thompson

of development into the Everglades brought tragedy to its

witnessed civilization’s aggressive advance into the

border on February 14, 2018, when students in the bucolic

Everglades and extreme weather conditions caused by

suburb of Parkland, Florida, were maimed and murdered

environmental changes. As cities along South Florida’s

in their high school by a sole gunman, a former classmate.

Elizabeth Thompson took a circuitous route to becoming

eastern coast spiraled farther westward, these lands

This painting suggests Thompson’s awakening to the loss

an American landscape painter. Born in 1954 in New York

increasingly were compromised. Following in the tradition

of innocence she once found in the Everglades’ wilderness.

City, she went to Paris on a Rotary fellowship in 1976, where

of American nineteenth-century landscape painters, such

Rather than anchor the painting’s composition to earth as

she studied painting at the École des Beaux-Arts and met

as Thomas Cole, Thompson did not sit silently on the side-

is characteristic of most of her previous works, Thompson

her future husband. She subsequently divided her time

lines watching this transformation, but continued to paint

releases the viewer’s gaze, and allows it to soar along with

between Paris--painting the city’s architecture—and Ocean

with growing urgency so as to raise an alarm about what

the birds above the tree tops as they migrate away from the

Ridge, Florida—painting the ocean and swimmers in back-

was at stake for the wellbeing of the environment and for

land that has held her under its spell for years.

yard pools. In 1989, she was commissioned by a gold mine

life itself. The toll of civilization’s encroachment into the

in Zimbabwe to paint a mural and took the opportunity to

wilderness is represented in such paintings as Cocaine

explore Africa. The sylvan reeds and swamps she painted

Cowboys, in which a hapless, battered and abandoned old

in her African landscapes reminded some viewers of the

Mercedes is the stranded victim of South Florida’s noto-

Bonnie Clearwater is an American writer and art historian.

Florida Everglades. She remained intrigued by this associ-

rious drug trade of the 1980s, and Bridge to Nowhere, with

She is the director and chief curator of Nova Southeastern

ation, and in 2006 (recently widowed) she accepted an invi-

its elevated highway clumsily slicing through majestic

University’s Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale. Previously,

tation from the National Park Service to live and work in the

fields. As in Cole’s landscapes, Thompson’s paintings

Clearwater was the director and chief curator of Museum

solitude of the Everglades as a participant in its Artists in

balance her reverence for the land with a call to action for

of Contemporary Art, North Miami.

Residence Program, where she began painting its rich and

the reclamation of Paradise.

—Bonnie Clearwater, 2018

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Bruce Helander

Every Picture Tells a Story

One of the long-term benefits of being a critic and curator,

the hypothetical decisive moment of the first man and

developed through years of experience, trial and error, risk

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci offered his concept

and reward, and enlightenment versus disillusionment, is

of Jesus’ prediction of betrayal. Van Gogh’s Portrait of

the ability to interpret the true nature of an artist’s intui-

Dr. Gachet mirrored the artist’s own agony, anxiety and

tive talent and its direct application to generating notable

frequent bouts of mental suffering while Picasso’s Guernica

works of art. Through my background as a journalist and

channeled his outrage at the horrific bombing of a small

art writer as well as editor-in-chief of multiple art maga-

Basque village by German and Italian warplanes in 1937

zines, I have found that all successful artists without excep-

and the anguish that followed. Today the canvas remains a

tion paid their dues through years of valuable education

powerful symbol, warning humanity against the wide scale

and basic creative development. These efforts eventually

suffering and devastation that war brings about. “Genre

matured into their own diverse idiosyncratic style that

Painting,” expressed as scenes from ordinary daily life, first

also is reflected in their compositions, especially those

was used by the Dutch in the 17th century by artists that

who lean to narrative scenes and have a story to tell. Some

included Jan Vermeer and continued into the 20th century

of these are purposely brief and packed with deliberate

with Norman Rockwell. When modern art came into vogue,

inconclusive clues and a resolute emptiness, while others

painting and sculpture with a defined narrative swiftly fell

are so specific that they leave no room for a viewer’s imag-

out of favor, and with the advent of the abstract expres-

ination or curiosity.

sionist crusade, art with a story attached was (briefly)

The narrative in art has been with us for millennia,

branded as “dull.” Thankfully, this negative perspective

outlining a multitude of circumstances, from mythical

would not hold on for long, and by the late decades of

legends to describing important past events. Just recently,

the 20th century a change in the cultural climate brought

archaeologists discovered what is believed to be the oldest

about a renewed appreciation for realism and storytelling.

abstract drawing in existence, estimated to have been

This paved the way for a resurgence in identifiable topics,

executed 70,000 years ago. The image is a crosshatch of

which encouraged artists like Whistler to paint his loving

red lines, like a hashtag, on a rock that astonishingly for

mother with a feeling of devotion and dignity—no expla-

the first time in anthropological behavior stored evidence

nation required!

outside of the human brain. The mysterious cave paint-

Elizabeth Thompson proudly has continued with the

ings at Lascaux in the south of France were affixed to the

honored tradition of pragmatic realism in all her artwork,

walls in the dark, with only a fire for illumination as they

from splendid ambitious murals in the lobbies of build-

sketched large animals such as mammoths, deer and bison

ings and distinctive showrooms, galleries and museums

on the run. These drawings, from circa 15,000 B.C., likely are

to painting small, charming dollhouse interiors, giant

the earliest evidence of explanatory diagrams. Narrative

outdoor oil tanks, magnificent bridges and even swim-

picture-making matured and refined its communicative

ming pools. She also takes a cue from modern descriptive

visual voice and can be seen very early in the history of

masters like Edward Hopper, George Bellows and Andrew

Top two images:

Above:

art. A number of reliefs in the European Bronze Age show

Wyeth and contemporary stars such as Eric Fischl, April

Elizabeth Thompson’s

Centre Pompidou, 1981,

paintings on display at the

Oil on canvas, 45 x 64 in.

chronicles of hunting or battle as well as the likenesses

Gornik and Mark Tansey, whose remarkable academic skill

Coral Springs Museum of

(114.3 x 162.56 cm).

evident in Egyptian tomb paintings. Greek vases host myth-

and intellectual depictions of themes such as urban isola-

ological and authentic events. From the Renaissance to the

tion or rural loneliness and emptiness that have become

exhibition: Forty Years of

19th century, history painting was regarded by academics

iconic. It’s also clear from her selection of wondrous works

Painting. Photographs by

as the highest and most worthwhile kind of brushwork.

for this Coral Springs Museum of Art survey that water, and

Kim Sargent.

Michelangelo’s classic Creation of Adam (1512) was an

the skies that give it substance, a common denominator in

extraordinary ceiling fresco that ‘spoke’ to the masses of

much of Thompson’s art, has played an important role for a

Art during her 2018 solo

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Pictured above left:

long time in her paintings in a variety of environments. Her

photographers in particular, such as Clyde Butcher and

Tower Two, World Trade Center,

crowning achievement through decades of practice and

Jerry Rabinowitz, had a literal field day, utilizing the stun-

research is her thoughtful and provocative interpretation of

ning, changing ambient light and untamed atmosphere as

the Everglades, which coincidently is adjacent to the Coral

the basis for a perfect photographic “canvas.” John James

Springs Museum of Art.

Audubon had a keen interest in the Everglades, particu-

2001, Oil on canvas, 96 x 32 in.

(243.84 x 81.28 cm) and Purple Sky, Everglades National Park, 2018, Acrylic on canvas, 72 x 85 in. (182.88 x 215.9 cm) on

The Everglades is a landmark region of tropical

larly as a regular stop during his annual trek to Key West,

display at the Coral Springs

wetlands in the southern portion of the state of Florida,

beginning in 1832. At the turn of the 19th century, Winslow

Museum of Art.

which not only has been a habitat of native peoples and

Homer also had a great fascination with the lower end of

exotic species of flora and fauna for centuries, but its pure

this vast “river of grass,” where occasionally he conveyed

beauty, incredible light and dynamic, sparkling reflec-

the scenery in his preferred medium of watercolor. The

the Farm, 1991, Acrylic on

tions from the all-encompassing water perpetually has

tradition of artists visiting the Everglades continues today;

canvas, 96 x 144 in. (243.84 x

attracted painters and photographers to this outdoor

the allure remains permanent for many of them, and

365.76 cm). Commission for

treasure as they seek dramatic motivation. It never was

Thompson is no exception.

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Wood

an easy task to study this flat, enigmatic wonderland,

Elizabeth Thompson has been captivated by the atmo-

which constantly swarmed with predators such as hungry

sphere and history of the Glades for several decades and

mosquitoes, venomous snakes and lurking alligators, who

has concentrated much of her imaginative energy on this

Left:

like submerged submarines, wait quietly and patiently for a

singular ecological treasure. “Georgia O’Keeffe once said

Peaceable Kingdom, 2014, Oil

victim, watchful eyes just above the water’s surface. But, for

God told her that if she painted the mountain behind

on canvas, 68 x 79 in. (172.72 x

the impressive number of artists who knew of the dangers

her house in New Mexico enough times, she would own

200.66 cm).

involved, they felt that the trudge was worth it as they

it. I don’t think I own the Everglades, but the Everglades

searched for a sliver of dry land or a perfect spot to anchor

certainly owns a part of me.” In 2006, she was invited by the

a boat and set up with an easel or tripod. Contemporary

National Park Service to live in the Everglades as a partici-

Pictured above right: Installation: Loose Quilts Over

Johnson IV, Bedminster, New Jersey.

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pant in its Artists in Residence Program. The once in a life-

in a classic Grant Wood composition. Here, country quilts

growth, but it is her precision and acuity as a draftsman

time opportunity was perfect for completely absorbing the

float magically over a farm in a breezy configuration that

that is dramatically impressive. In her series titled “Modern

unspoiled environment and studying its secret landscapes

is inviting and soothing. Another work that demonstrates

Interventions,” foreign objects that don’t belong in the

and inhabitants, as the residency required that artists

her talent and structural expertise is El Angel de Mexico,

Everglades confront the viewer with irony and surprise.

dwell alone in the swamp, in spartan quarters and without

made for Bank Banpais in Mexico City, in a country that

In this series, out-of-context elements are tossed into the

means of communication to the outside world by way of

nurtured the renowned mural work of pioneers like Diego

picture plane in impossible situations, such as a makeshift

phone or internet. Although the ramifications of probable

Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

outdoor theatre filled with rows of empty seats or a passing

encounters with alligators, snakes, scorpions, and even

Thompson follows their historic lead with an illustrative

Amtrak train smack dab in the middle of the swamp or a

panthers, initially were terrifying, it turned out that for the

fresco-like piece in which the central focus is an “Angel

cement bridge to nowhere. A rusted, abandoned car that

most part her fears were unfounded, and the solitude took

of Independence” that appears atop the central column.

a tree eventually has taken over in a symbolic triumph of

on a positive perspective that heightened her awareness

Another example of Thompson’s mural oeuvre is Regatta,

nature’s power reminds me of Magritte’s well-known The

and intensified her connection to and personal perception

commissioned by the Marriott Hotel in Stamford and

Labors of Alexander, a surrealist bronze sculpture of a tree

of the surrounding intricate ecosystems. In fact, one of her

consisting of a bold design of colorful spinnakers as a coun-

stump taking root over a tarnished hatchet that ordinarily

works from this residency recently was acquired for the

terpoint to the highly articulated sea, which is accented by

would be used to chop it down. Another unique series is

permanent collection of the Coral Springs Museum of Art.

the misty wake left behind by three brightly-hued sailboats

titled “Beautiful Disasters,” which are among my favorite

After years of investigative visual “reporting,” Elizabeth

and cuts into already choppy waves that are painted with

paintings of hers that define persuasively an oncoming

Thompson has developed a sophisticated style that is

convincing perfection. Also relating to water is the artist’s

storm cloud of epic proportions where the obvious danger

supported by her decades of scrupulously documenting

series of beaches, where strolling bathers are sometimes

becomes a spectacular message of nature’s supremacy,

a virtual laundry list of items, including site-specific paint-

barely seen through the foggy surf. When it comes to water

power, organic splendor and inherent elegance. In

ings based on qualities intrinsic to their location and

and sky, Thompson excels like a recognized master and

Parkland, Thompson portrays a serene blue sky and

character of the subjects. A great specimen of meticu-

clearly has paid her dues to produce exemplary canvases

white clouds accented by seventeen migrating birds as a

lous detail and artistic facility is Thompson’s 40 ft. mural

after decades of practice made perfect. The artist’s swim-

poignant testament and acknowledgment of the tragic

for the Delaware River and Bay Authority (though it is not

ming pool series, among her most memorable, is a celebra-

shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School of

in the Coral Springs Museum’s exhibition). In a review by

tion of mixing the transparency and fluidity of water with

Parkland, Florida that took seventeen lives (and is located

the Philadelphia Inquirer titled “Wraparound Realism,”

her ability to fashion a satisfying, flowing surface where

a few miles from the museum on the same street).

the writer observed, “The painting lures passengers with

a half-submerged lone swimmer comes up for air. These

These works of Elizabeth Thompson that commem-

a realism and wrap-around view that fills the peripheral

are highly articulated works that offer an unusual visual

orate humanity in its many incarnations; nature both

vision and creates an illusion accentuated by the smell of

illusion and are all part of a repertoire that she employs in

tranquil and unsettling; and sometimes translucent,

sea breezes and by the ferry’s rocking motion.” Another

much of her art. Another noteworthy choice from her pool

sometimes murky water are a guiding light of inspiration

impressive instance of the artist’s versatility is Loose Quilts

series is Surge of Possibility, which was part of a significant

and commitment to rare observations on an environment

over the Farm, a 12 ft. canvas meant for a building that was

traveling exhibition in Zurich and Moscow (1990) that could

both wild and domesticated, which have shaped a striking

based on Shaker architecture. The design was prompted

almost be a homage to David Hockney, who also was in the

exhibition of form and function in numerous subject cate-

by American Regionalist paintings of the 1920s and ‘30s

show with his famed Water Made of Lines.

gories. Thanks to Elizabeth Thompson, we get the picture

and incorporates a delightful sensibility that can be found

The cover image of this book is titled Purple Sky and is

and the intriguing tale it has to tell.

an enchanting acrylic with a watercolor feel that captures Left: Contemporary Chinoiserie,

the grandeur and stark reality of the River of Grass. It is the

—Bruce Helander is an artist based in South Florida who

1997, Acrylic on canvas, 8 x 10 ft.

“portraits” of the Everglades that show off Thompson’s

writes on art. He is a former Provost and Vice President of

uncommon aptitude for transforming the fauna and flora

Academic Affairs at the Rhode Island School of Design, a

into mysterious, fascinating symphonies. Downed trees

former White House Fellow of the National Endowment for

attract air plants that evolve as a green carpet of natural

the Arts and is a member of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

Commissioned by Pearl Lam on the occasion of the handover of Hong Kong to China.

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I.

Beaches 1976–1979

Elizabeth Thompson went to Paris in 1976 to study and paint, and the following year had her first exhibition on the Rue Seine. The paintings in that show had a distinctly American sensibility, shaped by Pop Art, Photorealism, Edward Hopper and wide-open spaces. Deauville’s flat atmospheric light inspired her, as did retro architecture and pebbles.

Dick Walking, Deauville 1977 Acrylic on canvas 60 x 84 in. (152.4 x 213.36 cm)

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Reflection, Deauville Harbor 1978 Acrylic on canvas 45 x 58 in. (114.3 x 147.32 cm)

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Left: Stephen, Martha’s Vineyard 1977 Acrylic on canvas 22 x 19 in. (55.88 x 48.26 cm)

Right: Beach Bar 1979 Acrylic on canvas 58 x 45 in. (147.32 x 114.3 cm)

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Square within a Square 1977 Acrylic on canvas 39 x 39 in. (99.06 x 99.06 cm) Collection of Mrs. Richard Waterman

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Beach Bather 1977 Acrylic on canvas 26 x 28 in. (66.04 x 71.12 cm) Collection of Caroline Thompson.

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II.

Paris

1980–1984 While attending an arts residency program at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Thompson daily would pass the fountain at the Chatelet. This subject became a central theme during those years, as did views of rooftops, the dome of the Paris Opera, and a fascination with the gentle gray Parisian light that softens edges and enhances space.

Opera Dome 1980 Oil on canvas 45 x 77 in. (114.3 x 195.58 cm) Collection of Victoria Thompson

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Paris Rooftops 1981 Oil on canvas 51 x 59 in. (129.54 x 149.86 cm)

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Left: Doorway/Rothschild Foundation 1981 Acrylic on canvas 48 x 24 in. (121.92 x 60.96 cm)

Right: Night Sphinxes/Conciergerie 1983 Oil and acrylic on canvas 45 x 58 in. (114.3 x 147.32 cm)

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III.

Pools

1986–1991 The enveloping warmth of summer’s night air, voyeurism, film noir and the uninhibited freedom of weightless motion were all part of the pool narrative. For Thompson, swimming at night in an illuminated pool was an extraordinary visual and sensual experience. Nighttime swims with friends inspired this series, and motivated her to reference Florida for the first time.

These paintings became part of a show that Elizabeth Thompson co-curated. The exhibition included David Hockney, Jennifer Bartlett, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, Francesco Clemente and Julie Heffernan, among others, and traveled to five venues. Among these was a gallery in Moscow, a newly privatized gallery, and this was to be their first exhibition that was independent of government participation. The show opened in the spring, weeks before the Berlin Wall was torn down, and it was ironic yet fitting that the show “Pools,” representing one of the ultimate capitalist symbols, should be among the first privately mounted exhibitions in Moscow since 1917.

Pool Party 1987 Oil on canvas 53 x 57 in. (134.62 x 144.78 cm)

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Left: Night Swim 1987 Oil on canvas 40 x 50 in. (101.6 x 127 cm) Private collection

Right: Edge Pool 1987 Oil on canvas 70 ½ x 46 in. (179.07 x 116.84 cm) Collection of Mrs. Whitney Tower

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Lost Tree 1989 Oil on canvas 64 x 69 in. (162.56 x 175.26 cm) Private collection

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Left: Night Dialogue 1988 Oil on canvas 54 x 52 in.

(137.16 x 132.08 cm) Collection of Mrs. Whitney Tower

Right: Mood Congruent 1989 Oil on canvas 57 x 53 in.

(144.78 x 134.62 cm) Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Abrams

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I V.

Murals 1975–2000

In the spring of 1975, Thompson won a competition to transform 135 oil storage tanks on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River into an artwork. This experience led to a fearlessness when confronting the task of creating large public works of art. Site-specific commissioned murals dominated her work in the 1990s, and due diligence for these works included visiting the top tower of a bridge, a restored 17th century frigate, an African gold mine, Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City, community playgrounds, Hong Kong department stores, and some extraordinary private homes. Thompson responded to the challenge of each commission by painting a work that would emphasize the dynamic poetry and identity inherent in each location.

View from the Top 1995 Acrylic on canvas, 9 x 20 ft.

Image of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, commission for Delaware River and Bay Authority.

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Left: Let It Shine 1998 Exterior wall of building, 50 x 50 ft.

Commission for Association to Benefit Children, New York.

Right: Loose Quilts Over the Farm 1991 Acrylic on canvas, 96 x 144 in. (243.84 x 365.76 cm).

Commission for Mr. & Mrs. Robert Wood Johnson IV, Bedminster, New Jersey.

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The DeBraak and the Twin Capes 1996 Acrylic on vinyl, 8 x 40 ft. Commission for the ferry boat MV Twin Capes, Delaware River and Bay Authority, image of HMS DeBraak (18th century).

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V.

Africa 1996–2001

The Africa paintings were inspired by a commission Thompson received to paint a mural of a gold mine in Zimbabwe. After completing her research, she traveled around the country and was inspired by Lake Kariba, estuaries in Botswana and vast vistas of gold grass. Thompson has recounted that when she showed the paintings some viewers commented that the scenes looked like the Everglades, and she decided to investigate. After floating through a tunnel of mangroves in the Glades, she was hooked.

Water Lilies 1998 Oil on canvas 50 x 60 in. (127 x 152.4 cm) Collection of Mr. Harold J. Ruvoldt

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Lake Kariba 1996 Oil on canvas 45 x 58 in. (114.3 x 147.32)

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River Grass 2002 Oil on canvas 40 x 55 in. (101.6 x 139.7 cm)

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VI.

The Everglades 2002–

Thompson was invited by the National Park Service to live in the Everglades as a participant in its Artists in Residence Program. She lived alone in the swamp in spartan quarters, without internet, phone or television. Initially, the possibility of encounters with alligators, snakes, scorpions and panthers was terrifying, but ultimately, she found that the solitude heightened her awareness and intensified the connection to the intricate ecosystems surrounding her. This period coincided with a great personal loss for Thompson, but nature’s ability to heal and adapt proved inspirational.

The contrast between energetic growth and overt decay served up a multitude of images that illustrate the cyclical relationship between life and death. The “Nurse Log” paintings are a literal portrayal of this—decomposing, fallen trees feeding a new generation of plants. “The Everglades helped me to heal; taught me to look; and made me anxious about the planet’s future.”

Flat 1 2003 Oil on canvas 45 x 70 in. (114.3 x 177.8 cm)

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Flat 2 2004 Oil on canvas 48 x 55 in. (121.92 x 139.7 cm) Private collection

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Left: Kim’s Moss 2004 Oil on canvas 28 x 22 in. (71.12 x 55.88 cm)

Right: Celebration Branch 2009 Oil on canvas 50 x 60 in. (127 x 152.4 cm) Collection of Mr. David Brown

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For Richard, Grand Nurse Log 2010 Oil on canvas 65 x 77 in. (165.1 x 195.58 cm) Private collection

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Everglades Dejeuner 2011 Oil on canvas 57 x 81 in. (144.78 x 205.74 cm)

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Undulation 2010 Oil on canvas 48 x 66 in. (121.92 x 167.64 cm)

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Palmetto Morning 2010 Oil on canvas 58 x 65 in. (147.32 x 165.1)

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VII.

Modern Interventions This series continues Thompson’s fascination with the Everglades but began to include possible but improbable narratives. The challenge of preserving this national park is represented by intrusions into pristine wilderness: sometimes, nature fights back.

Bridge to Nowhere 2013 Oil on canvas 60 x 73 in. (152.4 x 185.42 cm)

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Previous pages, left: Cocaine Cowboy 2012 Oil on canvas

All Aboard 2017 Oil on canvas 46 x 58 in. (116.84 x 147.32 cm)

52 x 75 in. (132.08 x 190.5 cm)

Previous pages, right: No Parking 2015 Oil on canvas 59 x 80 in. (149.86 x 203.2 cm)

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VIII.

Movie Theaters The movie theaters suggest the act of passively bearing witness to a story. Empty chairs pictured in different ecosystems speak directly about each location’s identity and future.

Purple Chairs 2014 Oil on canvas 48 x 75 in. (121.92 x 190.5 cm)

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Okeechobee Sugar Cane 2014 Oil on canvas 59 x 73 in. (149.86 x 185.42 cm)

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Beach Show 2016 Acrylic and oil on canvas 54 x 70 in. (137.16 x 177.8 cm)

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IX.

Road Trip Energy, romance and the act of bearing witness to surprising and sometimes thrilling scenes, inform Thompsons paintings from this period. She began to experiment with her painting process, which became central to later paintings that were included in “Beautiful Disasters.� Political and cultural beliefs are depicted in these works, as well as visions of unsettling landscapes.

Thelma and Louise 2015 Oil on canvas 20 x 24 in. (50.8 x 60.96 cm)

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Blue Turban 2016 Acrylic and oil on canvas 43 x 58 in. (109.22 x 147.32 cm)

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Previous pages, left: Valentine Texas 2016 Acrylic and oil on canvas

Two Faced 2014 Oil on canvas 40 x 55 in. (101.6 x 139.7 cm)

52 x 60 in. (132.08 x 152.4 cm)

Previous pages, right: Cacti Forever 2 2016 Acrylic and oil on canvas 58 x 69 in. (147.32 x 175.26 cm)

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Touch Up 2014 Acrylic on canvas 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm)

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X.

Beautiful Disasters Faced with a world in the grip of escalating natural disasters and manmade havoc, Thompson posed the question, “How does art, supposedly appreciated for its beauty, depict catastrophe?” She had addressed this issue before: in 2001, having just moved to downtown Manhattan, she saw the Twin Towers fall. Her response was to portray Tower Two how it would be seen as reflected in the Hudson River. The image reads as an upside-down portrayal of the building under attack and becomes a timeline for that day’s events.

This period coincides with a radical change in her painting technique, as Thompson began to paint on wet, unprimed canvas, which encouraged improvisation and “accidents” that determined each work’s composition.

Purple Sky, Everglades National Park 2018 Acrylic on canvas 72 x 85 in. (182.88 x 215.9 cm)

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Land’s End 2016 Acrylic on canvas 57 x 54 in. (144.78 x 137.16 cm)

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Mangroves and Purple Wave 2018 Acrylic on canvas 52 x 53 in. (132.08 x 134.62 cm)

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Hard Rain 2017 Acrylic on canvas 47 x 67 in. (119.38 x 170.18 cm)

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Tower Two, World Trade Center 2001 Oil on canvas 96 x 32 in. (243.84 x 81.28 cm)

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Beelzebub’s Breath 2016 Acrylic on canvas 57 x 54 in. (144.78 x 137.16 cm)

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XI.

Parkland

17 Migrating Birds This work is a tribute to the 17 students and faculty members shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The focus is on the birds, which are migrating from one place to another—it could be heaven, nirvana, reincarnation, eternity—it means different things to different people. The birds are swallow-tailed kites, which are numerous in the Everglades. The iconography of this bird has been defined as a “comfort for mothers,” and Wikipedia identified the swallow-tailed kite as “the coolest bird.” Each bird is different; individual.

The tops of the slash pines and the kites represent the Everglades. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School bears the name of the tireless activist who was instrumental in establishing the Everglades as a protected national park.

It seems fitting that this undeterred activist’s name should be attached to this particular school. The sky is moving with the birds, because those they represent, moved the world.

Seventeen Migrating Birds, Parkland 2018 Acrylic on canvas 66 5/8 x 81 5/8 in. (169.23 x 207.33 cm) Collection of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

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Curriculum Vitae

1988

“New York - New Works,” Helander Gallery,

1984

Mural for Southwestern Bell Telephone, Dallas, Texas

Palm Beach, Florida

1985

Triptych for Lincoln Properties, Dallas, Texas

1990

“Pools,” Modus Vivendi Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland,

1986

Two murals for the Club Corporation of America,

Art Moderne Gallery, Moscow, Russia, Norton Museum

Dallas, Texas

of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida (traveling exhibition)

1989

Mural for Robert Wood Johnson IV, Rockefeller Center,

1991

“Nuptials,” Helander Gallery, New York

New York

“Elizabeth Thompson—Pools,”

1990

Mural for the Association to Benefit Children, New

Stuart Levy Gallery, Zurich

York; Mural commission for Mr. and Mrs. Tom Wolfe,

Education:

“Pools,” Helander Gallery, New York City

New York

1971–75 BA, Magna Cum Laude, Mount Holyoke College,

1992

Helander Gallery, Palm Beach, Florida

1991

Mural for Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wood Johnson IV for

Massachusetts

“Pools,” Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, Colorado

“The Farm,” Lamington, New Jersey

1976–77 École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris

1996

Art Miami, Miami, Florida

1993

Mural for El Grupo Financiero Asemex Banpais,

1975–77 MFA, Pratt Institute, New York

Adamar Fine Arts, Miami, Florida

Mexico City

Caesarea Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida

1994

Second mural for El Grupo Financiero Asemex

Solo Exhibitions:

2005

Art Miami, Miami, Florida

Banpais, Mexico City

1974

Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, Massachusetts

Adamar Fine Arts, Miami, Florida

1995

Mural for the Delaware River and Bay Authority,

1977

Pratt Institute Gallery, New York

2008

SCOPE Art Fair, Miami

Delaware Memorial Bridge

1978

Galerie Les Arts Plastiques Modernes, Paris

Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, New York

1996

Mural for the Delaware River and Bay Authority,

1979

Plan Gallery, Knokke-Le-Zoute, Belgium

2010

Tripoli Gallery, Southampton, New York

ferry boat; Mural for Association to Benefit Children,

1983

Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York

2010

Miami International Airport

façade of five-story building, New York

1989

Galerie Lavignes-Bastille, Paris

2012

Leila Heller Gallery, New York

1997

Mural for Marriott Shanghai Tang Emporium;

Albemarle Gallery, London

2013

Pop Up Show, Palm Beach, Florida

First National Bank of Florida

1990

Barbara Gillman Gallery, Miami, Florida

2015

Capitol Exhibition Gallery, Florida Division of

1998

Mural for New York University (NYU) Hospital,

1993

John Harms Center for the Arts, Englewood,

Cultural Affairs, Tallahassee

New York

New Jersey

2000

Mural for the Boardroom of Metropolitan Life

1996

Art Miami, Miami, Florida

Awards and Honors:

Insurance Company, New York

Adamar Fine Arts, Miami, Florida

1974

Janet F. Brooks Memorial Prize in Painting

2003

Mural for Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Dubin, New York

Caesarea Gallery, Boca Raton, Florida

1975

Phi Beta Kappa Award

2001

Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York

1976–77 Skinner Foundation Fellowship

Above:

Somerhill Gallery, Durham, North Carolina

1977–78 Rotary Foundation Fellowship

Museum Collections:

Elizabeth Thompson’s paintings on

2004

Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York

1979–81 Artist in Residence, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris

McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas

display at the Coral Springs Museum

2006

Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, New York

1984–86 Artist in Residence, MoMA PS1, Queens, New York

Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

of Art during her 2018 solo exhibition:

2009

Leila Heller Gallery, New York

2006

Artist in Residence, Everglades National Park, Florida

Forty Years of Painting. Photographs

2012

Leila Heller Gallery, New York

2009

NOW award for Women of Power & Influence, National

Private Collections:

by Kim Sargent.

2013

Pop Up Show, Palm Beach, Florida

Organization of Women

Mr. Harry Joe Brown

2015

Capital Exhibition Gallery, Florida Division of

Cultural Affairs, Tallahassee, Florida

Left:

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Mr. and Mrs. Peter Brown Commissions:

Beth Rudin DeWoody

1975

Mural for Village in the Park, Chicago, Illinois; Hotel,

Mr. Itchko Ezratti

The artist in her studio, 2008,

Group Exhibitions:

Stamford, Connecticut

Mr. Howard Gittis

Ocean Ridge, Florida.

1981

1976

Conversion of 135 oil storage tanks into a work of art,

Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Hess

Massachusetts

300,000 sq. ft., bank of the Hudson River,

Mrs. Francis Lloyd

1982

“Selected 20th Century American Painting &

commissioned by Belfer Associates and Prudential

Mr. and Mrs. William Rayner

Sculpture,” Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York

Insurance Company

Dr. and Mrs. Patrick Stubgen

“Collectors Gallery 16,” McNay Art Museum,

1977

Mural for the Rosalie Clinic, Aubervilliers

Weil, Gotshal and Manges

San Antonio, Texas

1981

Mural for the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire Charlton

Wells, Rich, Green

1983

“Selected 20th Century American Painting &

Park, Malmesbury, England

Mr. and Mrs. Tom Wolfe

Sculpture,” Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York

1983

Mural for the Wilmington Trust, Wilmington, Delaware

Ingram Yuzek, New York City

Six at Mount Holyoke College Art Museum,

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Elizabeth Thompson Forty Years of Painting

Elizabeth Thompson Forty Years of Painting

COR A L S P R I NG S M U S E U M of A RT

C O R A L S P R I N G S M U S E U M of A R T