Drawing Friends: Hedda Sterne's Portraititis

Drawing Friends: Hedda Sterne’s Portraititis  features 20 portrait drawings by Hedda Sterne, who is best recognized as the sole woman in the now famous 1951 Life magazine photograph depicting fifteen artists of the New York School, entitled “The Irascibles.”  A painter with a diverse oeuvre that spans 70 years, Sterne has been elusive to critical categorization, as her style is constantly changing.  The exhibition at MAM focuses on one important and constant part of her output – drawn portraiture. Drawing Friends is curated by MAM Director Patterson Sims, who writes “A self-proclaimed victim of ‘portraititis,’ Sterne felt it essential to record the faces of her friends. She strove to create transparent portraits that would accurately convey the character and nature of her model.  Through her use of the simple materials of a pencil on paper, she allowed the honesty of her subject to shine through without imposing too much of her personality.”

^{Drawing Friends: Hedda Sterne’s Portaititis is made possible with support from the Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason Foundation, Inc., Exhibition Angels Bobbie and Bob Constable, and the Judith Targan Endowment Fund.}