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Janet Todd YoungAbstract drawing on paper by American female modernist Janet Todd Young, 1930s1930s
1930s
$850
£642.22
€735.78
CA$1,186.03
A$1,292.71
CHF 683.44
MX$15,561.74
NOK 8,674.60
SEK 7,952.83
DKK 5,496.35
About the Item
An abstract pencil drawing in paper by Janet Todd Young, early AAA member.
Janet Todd Young was born in Illinois in 1908, and earned a bachelor's degree in languages from Oberlin College, specializing in French, Italian and German. After graduating, Janet travelled to Europe to put her language skills to use, working for her father.
While living in Berlin in the early 1930s she met and married Beckford Young, an American artist from Petaluma, California who had recently been working with Hans Hofmann at UC Berkeley.
Hofmann, widely considered to be one of the most influential abstract artists of the time, was returning to Germany and convinced Beckford to travel with him so the two could be closer the the cutting edge of emerging modern art in Europe.
Through Beckford and Hofmann, Janet, a midwesterner, and the daughter of a congregational minister, was introduced to cutting edge ideas in the modern art world.
Soon after their marriage, Janet and Beckford travelled to Positano, Italy where Vaclav Vytlacil, a leading modern American artist, was teaching at an art colony.
In 1937, the unrest in Europe forced the Youngs to leave Europe for California.
While living in California, Janet exhibited her work in New York City with the American Abstract Artists, which had been recently created by leading American abstract artists with the sole purpose of promoting the understanding, development, and acceptance of abstract art in the United States.
In California Janet exhibited her work at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 1938, the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939, and with the San Francisco Art Association in 1956.
Janet was greatly inspired Russian Constructivism and had already been making and exhibiting constructivist works, when her husband introduced her to furniture making. Janet honed those skill, and created constructivist furniture for her home.
In 1941 Janet was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which slowed her productivity as an artist and furniture maker.
During WWII, Janet was able to put her language skills back to work, this time for the United States Government, as a translator.
Janet and Beckford divorced in the 1940s, but Janet continued to create abstract art through her remaining years. She passed away in 1993.
This work is from a collection of works owned by the family. Many were in sketchbooks, or loose in portfolios. Most all of the works, including this one, are unsigned. We have created a stamp to mark the works for posterity.
Study No. 10 - Blocks
Measures 4.25 x 4.25 inches sight size, and 12.25 x 12. 25 x 1.75 inches overall including framing.
Janet used pencil to form a multitude of small blocks shaded to various degrees to create a larger abstract cube.
- Creator:Janet Todd Young (1908 - 1993, American)
- Creation Year:1930s
- Dimensions:Height: 12.75 in (32.39 cm)Width: 12.75 in (32.39 cm)Depth: 1.75 in (4.45 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement Style:
- Period:
- Condition:Good condition overall. Some minor smudging and discoloration to paper.
- Gallery Location:Colfax, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2907217407032
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While living in Berlin in the early 1930s she met and married Beckford Young, an American artist from Petaluma, California who had recently been working with Hans Hofmann at UC Berkeley.
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