Phyllis Sloane, 1921-2009
Ten screen prints, Gift of Phyllis Sloane Art.
These two works are part of a generous gift of ten screen prints which come to the Ulrich from the estate of artist Phyllis Sloane. Sloane was a Cleveland-based printmaker and painter with a career that spanned over sixty years. Drawn to Abstract Expressionism in her youth, Sloane moved toward working representationally in the 1960s, influenced by the Pop Art movement, which included her friend and Carnegie Tech classmate, Roy Lichtenstein, as well as by artists Alex Katz and Will Barnet. The selection of ten prints gifted to the Ulrich represents Sloane’s mature iconic print work, particularly her striking images of women rendered with crisp, eloquent line, laconic but surprising composition, and bold colors and patterns. These works also capture the range of historic influences with which she was in dialogue—from Japanese wood block prints to the Post-Impressionists to the ambiance of Santa Fe, where she started living in the late 1970s and spent much of her later life. In addition to their beauty, technical prowess, and psychological intrigue, these works help us to diversify our collection and add to it the perspective of a woman artist representing other women at a time when professional success remained difficult for American women artists to accomplish.
