Harriet Fitzgerald and the Abingdon Square Painters, 2021-2022
The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, in collaboration with the New York City Abingdon Square Painters, presents Harriet Fitzgerald and the Abingdon Square Painters, 2021 as a Storefront Exhibition in Danville’s River District. This exhibition of specifically curated banners produced by Anthony Mavilia, director of the Abingdon Square Painters, initiates conversations about the founding of the NYC Abingdon Square Painters and the role Danville-born artist Harriet Fitzgerald played as the organizations founder. The exhibition pays tribute, amongst many works by the Abingdon Square Painters, to director Jeanne Morrow who followed in the footsteps of Harriet Fitzgerald after the founding artist passed away. The exhibition also features the work of director Peggy Anderson and present director Anthony Mavilia, outlining a legacy of cultural exchange between Danville, VA and New York City while also illuminating the collections of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History.
For Information about this Exhibition please contact Annie Chappell, DMFAH Collections Manager at annie@danvillemuseum.org or (434)793-5644.
Exhibition Title: Harriet Fitzgerald and the Abingdon Square Painters
Exhibition Timeline: November 15, 2021- January 8, 2022
Exhibition Location: Windows at 501 Main Street, Danville, VA
About Harriet Fitzgerald:
Harriet Fitzgerald (1904-1984), a Danville native, distinguished herself as an artist, exhibitor, and a much sought-after lecturer.
Born in 1904, she attended Stratford Hall in Danville and went on to graduate from Randolph Macon Woman’s College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Much of her training as an artist came in two and a half years of study at The Art Students’ League of New York, principally in the class of John Sloan, and in the private classes of Maurice Stern and the cubist painter Ambrose Webster. This formal training was supplemented by a period of independent study in Europe during which Fitzgerald studied the major art galleries there.
She held numerous one-woman exhibitions at the Charles Barzansky Gallery in New York, as well as several other institutions, including Randolph Macon Woman’s College, Randolph Macon College, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Asheville Museum of Art, and the Birmingham public library, among others. Her final exhibition was in Danville, VA.
Fitzgerald was founder and director of the Abingdon Square Painters from 1948 until her death in 1984, a position which led her to being in great demand by colleges throughout the country. From 1955-1964 and from 1967-1969, she served as a lecturer for the Arts Program Association of American Colleges; in the late 1940’s, early 1950’s, and early 1960’s she was involved with the lecture program of the Virginia Area University Center; and since 1957 Harriet Fitzgerald was a visiting lecturer at Stratford College and a member of the faculty without rank.
In February of 1975 she was introduced to members of the Danville Chapter, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts with these words: “Harriet Fitzgerald brings to every human encounter, as she does to her own painting, a special warmth of personality that grows out of a rare quality of mind and spirit; whether the encounter is with a student of art or with one simply seeking to understand and enjoy, it is an inspiration and a learning experience.”
About the Abingdon Square Painters:
The Abingdon Square Painters were founded by Harriet Fitzgerald in 1948 and incorporated in 1964. The organization, which still exists today, provides studio facilities and a creative atmosphere for its members, most of whom are based in New York. Members of Abingdon Square Painters with works in the Danville Museum of Fine Art & History collection include Harriet Fitzgerald, Peggy Anderson, Jane Appleton, Paul Bond, Emma Orr Taylor, and Jeanne Morrow.
From the website of the Abingdon Square Painters (12/8/2021):
