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{{Short description|American artist (1918–1963)}}

{{Infobox artist
{{Infobox artist
| name = Sonia Sekula
| name = Sonia Sekula
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| death_date = {{death date and age|1963|4|25|1918|4|8|mf=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1963|4|25|1918|4|8|mf=y}}
| death_place = Zürich, Switzerland
| death_place = Zürich, Switzerland
| nationality = Swiss
| nationality = Swiss, American
| education = Sarah Lawrence College
| education = Sarah Lawrence College
| field = [[Painting]]
| field = [[Painting]]
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}}
}}


'''Sonja Sekula''' (8 April 1918 – 25 April 1963) (also known as '''Sonia Sekula''') was a Swiss-born artist linked with the [[abstract expressionist]] movement, notable for her activity as an "out" [[lesbianism|lesbian]] in the [[New York City|New York]] art world during the 1940s and early 1950s.<ref>[http://www.glbtqarchive.com/arts/sekula_s_A.pdf Richard Mann (2015), glbtqarchive.com]</ref>
'''Sonja Sekula''' (8 April 1918 – 25 April 1963) (also known as '''Sonia Sekula''') was an American artist linked with the [[abstract expressionist]] movement, notable for her activity as an "out" [[lesbianism|lesbian]] in the [[New York City|New York]] art world during the 1940s and early 1950s.<ref name="glbtq, Inc.">{{cite web |last1=Mann |first1=Richard G. |title=Page 1 Sekula, Sonja (1918-1963) |url=http://www.glbtqarchive.com/arts/sekula_s_A.pdf |website=glbtq, Inc. |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref>


⚫
She was born in [[Lucerne]] on 8 April 1918 to a Swiss mother, Berta Huguenin (1896–1980), and a Hungarian father, [[Béla Sekula]] (1881–1966), a [[philatelist]].

She lived in America from 1936 to 1955.
⚫
She attended Sarah Lawrence College.
She met the [[surrealists]] in exile in New York during 1942.<ref name="timeline">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sonja-sekula.org/timeline.htm|title=Sonja Sekula - Time Line|website=www.sonja-sekula.org|access-date=2016-03-06}}</ref>
She met the [[surrealists]] in exile in New York during 1942.<ref name="timeline">{{Cite web|url=http://www.sonja-sekula.org/timeline.htm|title=Sonja Sekula - Time Line|website=www.sonja-sekula.org|access-date=2016-03-06}}</ref>
On 25 April 1963 she hanged herself in her studio in [[Zurich]] after many years of mental health issues.<ref name="sekulaglbtq">http://www.glbtq.com/arts/sekula_s,4.html</ref>
On 25 April 1963, she hanged herself in her studio in [[Zurich]] after many years of mental health issues.<ref name="sekulaglbtq">{{cite web |url=http://www.glbtq.com/arts/sekula_s,4.html |title=Sekula, Sonja (1918-1963)|website=www.glbtq.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060319034329/http://www.glbtq.com/arts/sekula_s,4.html |archive-date=2006-03-19}}</ref>
She is buried in St. Moritz as she had requested in a letter to her mother.<ref name="timeline"/>
She is buried in St. Moritz as she had requested in a letter to her mother.<ref name="timeline"/>


== Early life ==
== Early life and education ==
⚫
Sonja Sekula was born in [[Lucerne]] on 8 April 1918 to a Swiss mother, Berta Huguenin (1896–1980), and a Hungarian father, [[Béla Sekula]] (1881–1966), a [[philatelist]].


⚫
Sekula and her family relocated to New York from Lucerne, Switzerland when she was a child. She lived in New York, New Mexico, Mexico, and in different cities in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/375678/sonja-sekula-a-survey-peter-blum-gallery-2017/|title=Sonja Sekula's Time May Have Finally Come|date=2017-04-30|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>
=== Childhood to young adulthood: 1918 - 1941 ===
⚫
Sekula and her family relocated to New York from Lucerne, Switzerland when she was a child. She lived in New York, New Mexico, Mexico, and in different cities in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hyperallergic.com/375678/sonja-sekula-a-survey-peter-blum-gallery-2017/|title=Sonja Sekula’s Time May Have Finally Come|date=2017-04-30|website=Hyperallergic|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>


⚫
Sekula moved to New York in 1936, when her father moved his philatelic business there.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Foote|first=Nancy|date=October 1971|title=Who Was Sonia Sekula?|url=https://www.sonja-sekula.org/Specials/ArtInAmerica.htm|journal=Art in America|pages=73–80}}</ref> In a letter sent to her mother, Sonja described New York as "very gray. All the steel constructions are waking up and their steel shines towards new work."<ref name=":2"/>
== Career ==
⚫
Sekula moved to New York in 1936, when her father moved his business there.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Foote|first=Nancy|date=October 1971|title=Who Was Sonia Sekula?|url=https://www.sonja-sekula.org/Specials/ArtInAmerica.htm|journal=Art in America|pages=73-80}}</ref> In a letter sent to her mother, Sonja described New York as "very gray. All the steel constructions are waking up and their steel shines towards new work."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Art in America|url=https://www.sonja-sekula.org/Specials/ArtInAmerica.htm|website=www.sonja-sekula.org|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>


She attended school at [[Sarah Lawrence College]] but left after two years, entering the [[Art Students League of New York|Art Students League]] where she studied under Dadaist [[George Grosz]] and Modernist [[Morris Kantor]].<ref name=":2" /> In New York she befriended American poet Carl Sandburg and met the surrealists in exile during 1942. It was during this time that she became part of an international circle of artists, writers, choreographers, and composers in New York in the 1940s, when she was in her early twenties.
She attended school at [[Sarah Lawrence College]] but left after two years, entering the [[Art Students League of New York|Art Students League]] where she studied under Dadaist [[George Grosz]] and Modernist [[Morris Kantor]].<ref name=":2" />
== Career ==
In New York Sekula befriended American poet Carl Sandburg and met the surrealists in exile during 1942. It was during this time that she became part of an international circle of artists, writers, choreographers, and composers in New York in the 1940s, when she was in her early twenties.


Peggy Guggenheim included Sekula in the 1943 exhibition "31 Women" at her Art of This Century gallery, and gave Sekula her first solo exhibition in 1946.<ref name=":2" /> Betty Parsons Gallery exhibited Sekula's work in 1948.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sonja Sekula - Time Line|url=https://www.sonja-sekula.org/timeline.htm|website=www.sonja-sekula.org|access-date=2020-05-10}}</ref> In 1949, she had a third one-man show and was also included in a Betty Parson's group show with [[Theodoros Stamos]], [[Jackson Pollock]], and [[Barnett Newman]].<ref name=":2" />
Peggy Guggenheim included Sekula in the 1943 exhibition "31 Women" at her Art of This Century gallery, and gave Sekula her first solo exhibition in 1946.<ref name=":2" /> Betty Parsons Gallery exhibited Sekula's work in 1948.<ref name="timeline"/> In 1949, she had a third one-man show and was also included in a Betty Parson's group show with [[Theodoros Stamos]], [[Jackson Pollock]], and [[Barnett Newman]].<ref name=":2" />


Despite people holding good opinions of her work, the same could not be said about the artist. Sonja was seen as unfortunate due to not only her mental state, but also her open sexuality. Thus her work is often overlooked.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Davis|first=Whitney|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1097164090|title=Gay and lesbian studies in art history|date=1994|others=Whitney Davis|isbn=978-1-317-99186-1|location=New York [New York]|oclc=1097164090}}</ref>
Despite people holding good opinions of her work, the same could not be said about the artist. Sonja was seen as unfortunate due to not only her mental state, but also her open sexuality. Thus her work is often overlooked.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Davis|first=Whitney|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1097164090|title=Gay and lesbian studies in art history|date=1994|others=Whitney Davis|isbn=978-1-317-99186-1|location=New York [New York]|oclc=1097164090}}</ref>


Sekula returned to Switzerland with her family in 1955 and remained there for the rest of her life, although she did return to New York in 1957.<ref name=":2" /> In 1955 Sekula had a solo exhibition at Galerie Palette, Zurich.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sonja-sekula.org/timeline.htm|title=Sonja Sekula - Time Line|website=www.sonja-sekula.org|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref>
Sekula returned to Switzerland with her family in 1955 and remained there for the rest of her life, although she did return to New York in 1957.<ref name=":2" /> In 1955 Sekula had a solo exhibition at Galerie Palette, Zurich.<ref name="timeline"/>


Her work is in the collections of the [[Irish Museum of Modern Art]],<ref name="Irish Museum of Modern Art">{{cite web |title=Sonja Sekula |url=https://imma.ie/artists/sonja-sekula/ |website=Irish Museum of Modern Art |access-date=24 April 2023 |language=en-IE}}</ref> the [[Museum of Modern Art]],<ref name="Museum of Modern Art2">{{cite web |title=The Voyage |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/407904 |website=Museum of Modern Art |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref> the [[Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts]],<ref name="PAFA">{{cite web |title=Sonja Sekula |url=https://www.pafa.org/museum/collection-artist/sonja-sekula |website=PAFA - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref> and the [[Walker Art Center]].<ref name="Walker Art Center">{{cite web |title=Sonja Sekula |url=https://walkerart.org/collections/artists/sonja-sekula |website=Walker Art Center |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref> In 2016 her biography was included in the exhibition catalogue ''Women of Abstract Expressionism'' organized by the [[Denver Art Museum]].<ref name="Marter">{{cite book |last1=Marter |first1=Joan M. |title=Women of abstract expressionism |date=2016 |publisher=Denver Art Museum Yale University Press |location=Denver New Haven |isbn=9780300208429 |page=196}}</ref>
⚫
== Personal life ==
⚫
Sonja was extremely passionate about her artwork, expressing how proud she was to be around all the other artists and movements in New York during the 1940s. Her instructor described her as being "easy to get along with" yet also being "highly disturbed"<ref name=":0" /> When compared to her other students, Kantor explained "no matter what she did it was of great interest compared with the other students. She was always one of the best in the class. Her work was much more creative and moving than most; it always had great spirit."<ref name=":0" />


⚫
== Personal life ==
⚫
After joining the Student’s Art league she met André  Breton and started joining meetings for the Surrealist Group in exile. She grew very close with him and his wife. Through the group she also became close friends with poet Charles Duit, sculptor David Hare, and Alice Rahon.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/318010471|title=Surrealist women : an international anthology|date=1998|publisher=Athlone Press|others=Penelope Rosemont|isbn=978-0-567-17128-3|location=London|oclc=318010471}}</ref>
⚫
Sonja was extremely passionate about her artwork, expressing how proud she was to be around all the other artists and movements in New York during the 1940s. Her instructor described her as being "easy to get along with" yet also being "highly disturbed"<ref name=":2" /> When compared to her other students, Kantor explained "no matter what she did it was of great interest compared with the other students. She was always one of the best in the class. Her work was much more creative and moving than most; it always had great spirit."<ref name=":2" />


⚫
After joining the Student’s Art league she met André Breton and started joining meetings for the Surrealist Group in exile. She grew very close with him and his wife. Through the group she also became close friends with poet Charles Duit, sculptor David Hare, and Alice Rahon.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/318010471|title=Surrealist women : an international anthology|date=1998|publisher=Athlone Press|others=Penelope Rosemont|isbn=978-0-567-17128-3|location=London|oclc=318010471}}</ref>


On a trip to Tanjiers in 1950 to meet [[Paul Bowles]], [[Joseph Glasco]] was introduced to Sekula by [[Jane Bowles]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Raeburn |first=Michael |title=Joseph Glasco: The Fifteenth American |publisher=Cacklegoose Press |year=2015 |isbn=9781611688542 |location=London |pages=74 |language=English}}</ref> Sekula and Glasco remained friends when they returned to New York. In April 1951, the day after the opening of her third exhibition at [[Betty Parsons|Betty Parsons Gallery]], Sekula suffered a breakdown and had to be taken to the psychiatric clinic of the New York Hospital in White Plains by Manina Thoren and Joseph Glasco.[https://hyperallergic.com/375678/sonja-sekula-a-survey-peter-blum-gallery-2017/]


Sonja Sekula was also extremely open about her homosexuality, and made frequent references to it in her writings and journals. In one entry, she wrote the following:<blockquote>1960: "Let homosexuality be forgiven, let us hope that she will be welcome in the Greek mythology and protected by pagan nature gods as well for most often she did not sin against nature but tried to be true to the law of her own - To feel guilt about having loved a being of your own kind body and soul is hopeless - let us hope there were many pure moments in each of these attractions and loves - into which the realm of sphere and eternity and silence entered as well."<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>Sonja Sekula had a history of mental illness, having been admitted to several mental health clinics throughout her life.<ref name="timeline" /> This aspect of her life was also well-documented in her own writings and journals:<blockquote>1957: "I do not feel part of any country or race. I was well when they called me sick and often sick when they thought I am well. Have in thoughts been surprised at the vanity of others and surprised also at my own."<ref name=":0" />
Sonja Sekula was also extremely open about her homosexuality, and made frequent references to it in her writings and journals. In one entry, she wrote the following:<blockquote>1960: "Let homosexuality be forgiven, let us hope that she will be welcome in the Greek mythology and protected by pagan nature gods as well for most often she did not sin against nature but tried to be true to the law of her own - To feel guilt about having loved a being of your own kind body and soul is hopeless - let us hope there were many pure moments in each of these attractions and loves - into which the realm of sphere and eternity and silence entered as well."<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>Sonja Sekula had a history of mental illness, having been admitted to several mental health clinics throughout her life.<ref name="timeline" /> This aspect of her life was also well-documented in her own writings and journals:<blockquote>1957: "I do not feel part of any country or race. I was well when they called me sick and often sick when they thought I am well. Have in thoughts been surprised at the vanity of others and surprised also at my own."<ref name=":2" />


1961: "I hope to die without too much pain. Life was an interesting experience. I do not regret it-"<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>
1961: "I hope to die without too much pain. Life was an interesting experience. I do not regret it-"<ref name=":2" /></blockquote>


==Exhibitions==
==Exhibitions==

* 1943 - Group show ''[[The Art of This Century gallery#Exhibition by 31 Women|Exhibition by 31 Women]]'', [[Art of This Century gallery]], New York<ref name="MOMAbook">{{cite book|last1=Butler|first1=Cornelia H.|last2=Schwartz|first2=Alexandra|title=Modern Women: Women Artists at The Museum of Modern Art|date=2010|publisher=Museum of Modern Art|location=New York|isbn=9780870707711|page=[https://archive.org/details/modernwomenwomen0000unse/page/45 45]|url=https://archive.org/details/modernwomenwomen0000unse/page/45}}</ref>
* 1943 - Group show ''[[The Art of This Century gallery#Exhibition by 31 Women|Exhibition by 31 Women]]'', [[Art of This Century gallery]], New York<ref name="MOMAbook">{{cite book|last1=Butler|first1=Cornelia H.|last2=Schwartz|first2=Alexandra|title=Modern Women: Women Artists at The Museum of Modern Art|date=2010|publisher=Museum of Modern Art|location=New York|isbn=9780870707711|page=[https://archive.org/details/modernwomenwomen0000unse/page/45 45]|url=https://archive.org/details/modernwomenwomen0000unse/page/45}}</ref>
* 1948 - [[Betty Parsons]] Gallery, New York<ref name="Peter Blum Gallery">{{cite web |title=Sonja Sekula - Works from 1942 - 1963 - Peter Blum Gallery, New York |url=https://www.peterblumgallery.com/viewing-room/sonja-sekula |website=Peter Blum Gallery |access-date=24 April 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
* 1948 - [[Betty Parsons]] Gallery, New York
*1950 - 'Sonja Sekula (First Exhibition in London)', London Gallery, London
*1950 - 'Sonja Sekula (First Exhibition in London)', London Gallery, London
* 1953 - Group Show "Nine Women Painters", Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont<ref name="Bennington College">{{cite journal |title=Nine Women Painters (Exhibition Program) |url=https://crossettlibrary.dspacedirect.org/handle/11209/8355 |website=Bennington College |access-date=24 April 2023 |date=20 March 1953 |last1=Hillsmith |first1=Fannie |last2=Mason |first2=Alice Trumbull |last3=Sterne |first3=Hedda |last4=Sekula |first4=Sonia |last5=West |first5=Pennerton |last6=Frankenthaler '49 |first6=Helen |last7=Lindeberg |first7=Linda |last8=Mitchell |first8=Joan |last9=Fine |first9=Perle |last10=Goossen |first10=E. C. }}</ref>
* 1953 - Group Show "Nine Women Painters", Bennington College, Bennington, Vermont
* 1957 - Galerie Palette, Zurich, Switzerland
* 1957 - Galerie Palette, Zurich, Switzerland
* 1996 - [[Kunstmuseum Winterthur]], Switzerland<ref name="Frieze">{{cite journal |last1=Nedo |first1=Kito |title=Sonja Sekula's Peculiar Architectures |url=https://www.frieze.com/article/sonja-sekula-galerie-knoell-review-2022 |journal=Frieze |access-date=24 April 2023 |language=en |date=2 June 2022|issue=229 }}</ref>
* 1996 - [[Kunstmuseum Winterthur]], Switzerland (1 June - 11 August)
* 1996 - ''Sonja Sekula (1918–1963): A Retrospective'', Swiss Institute, New York, USA (12 September - 26 October)<ref name="Golden"/>
* 1996 - ''Sonja Sekula (1918–1963): A Retrospective'', Swiss Institute, New York, USA (12 September - 26 October)<ref name="Golden"/>
* 2016 - "Sonja Sekula, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock & Friends", [[:de:Kunstmuseum Luzern|Kunstmuseum Luzern]], Switzerland
* 2016 - "Sonja Sekula, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock & Friends", [[:de:Kunstmuseum Luzern|Kunstmuseum Luzern]], Switzerland<ref name="Kunstmuseum Luzern">{{cite web |title=Sonja Sekula, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock & Friends |url=https://www.kunstmuseumluzern.ch/en/exhibitions/sonja-sekula-max-ernst-jackson-pollock-friends/ |website=Kunstmuseum Luzern |access-date=24 April 2023}}</ref>
* 2017 - ''Sonja Sekula: A Survey'', Peter Blum Gallery, New York<ref name="Hyperallergic">{{cite web|last1=Yau|first1=John|title=Sonja Sekula’s Time May Have Finally Come|url=https://hyperallergic.com/375678/sonja-sekula-a-survey-peter-blum-gallery-2017/|website=Hyperallergic|accessdate=24 August 2017}}</ref>
* 2017 - ''Sonja Sekula: A Survey'', Peter Blum Gallery, New York<ref name="Hyperallergic">{{cite web|last1=Yau|first1=John|title=Sonja Sekula's Time May Have Finally Come|url=https://hyperallergic.com/375678/sonja-sekula-a-survey-peter-blum-gallery-2017/|website=Hyperallergic|date=30 April 2017|accessdate=24 August 2017}}</ref>
* 2019 - "Sparkling Amazons: Abstract Expressionist Women of the 9th St." [[Katonah Museum of Art]], Westchester County, NY.<ref>http://artdaily.com/news/117349/Abstract-Expressionist-Women-of-the-9th-St--show-comes-to-the-Katonah-Museum-of-Art#.XZ9ZKCVlAc0</ref>
* 2019 - "Sparkling Amazons: Abstract Expressionist Women of the 9th St." [[Katonah Museum of Art]], Westchester County, NY.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wije |first1=Michele |editor1-last=Wije |editor1-first=Michele |title=Sparkling Amazons: Abstract Expressionism of the 9th St. Show |date=2019 |publisher=Katonah Museum of Art |location=Katonah, NY |isbn=978-0-578-55-498-3 |pages=68–77 |chapter=Sonja Sekula}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Keane |first1=Tim |title=Positively Ninth Street Women |url=https://hyperallergic.com/530574/positively-ninth-street-women/ |work=Hyperallergic |date=30 November 2019}}</ref>
* 2023 - ''[[Action, Gesture, Paint: Women Artists and Global Abstraction 1940-1970]]'' [[Whitechapel Gallery]], London<ref name="Whitechapel Gallery">{{cite web |title=Action, Gesture, Paint |url=https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/action-gesture-paint-women-and-global-abstraction-1940-70/ |website=Whitechapel Gallery |access-date=21 April 2023 |language=en}}</ref>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==

* ''Womb'' - poem and drawing - VVV, March 1943
* ''Womb'' - poem and drawing - VVV, March 1943
* ''Who was Sonia Sekula?'', Art in America, October 1971<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sonja-sekula.org/Specials/ArtInAmerica.htm|title=Art in America|website=www.sonja-sekula.org|access-date=2016-03-06}}</ref>
* ''Who was Sonia Sekula?'', Art in America, October 1971<ref name=":2" />
* ''A Golden Girl Escaping Into Infinity'', New York Times, 20 September 1996<ref name="Golden">{{cite web|last1=Glueck|first1=Grace|title=A Golden Girl Escaping Into Infinity|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/20/arts/a-golden-girl-escaping-into-infinity.html|website=New York Times|accessdate=24 August 2017}}</ref>
* ''A Golden Girl Escaping Into Infinity'', New York Times, 20 September 1996<ref name="Golden">{{cite news|last1=Glueck|first1=Grace|title=A Golden Girl Escaping Into Infinity|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/20/arts/a-golden-girl-escaping-into-infinity.html|website=New York Times|date=20 September 1996|accessdate=24 August 2017}}</ref>
* ''Sonja Sekula - Im Zeichen der Frage, im Zeichen der Antwort. Ausgewählte Texte und Wortbilder'', (in German and English) Lenos Verlag, Zürich 1996. {{ISBN|3-85787-250-0}}
* ''Sonja Sekula - Im Zeichen der Frage, im Zeichen der Antwort. Ausgewählte Texte und Wortbilder'', (in German and English) Lenos Verlag, Zürich 1996. {{ISBN|3-85787-250-0}}
* ''Dunkelschwestern - [[Annemarie von Matt]] und Sonja Sekula'', by Roger Perret and Roman Kurzmeyer, 2008
* ''Dunkelschwestern - [[Annemarie von Matt]] und Sonja Sekula'', by Roger Perret and Roman Kurzmeyer, 2008
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [https://www.moma.org/artists/5332 “Small size…suits my heart best.” Sonja Sekula] by Samantha Friedman
* [https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/epdf/10.1086/713578 Sonja Sekula and “Art of the Mentally Ill”] by Jenny Anger
* [https://www.artforum.com/print/reviews/201707/sonja-sekula-70685 Sonja Sekula at the Peter Blum Gallery] by Chloe Wyma


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
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[[Category:Swiss women painters]]
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[[Category:Lesbian artists]]
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[[Category:Artists who committed suicide]]
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[[Category:LGBT artists from Switzerland]]
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[[Category:20th-century Swiss painters]]
[[Category:Sarah Lawrence College alumni]]
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[[Category:20th-century Swiss women artists]]
[[Category:1963 suicides]]
[[Category:1963 suicides]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people]]
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[[Category:20th-century American painters]]
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[[Category:20th-century American women painters]]
[[Category:American contemporary artists]]
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[[Category:Artists who died by suicide]]
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[[Category:Swiss LGBTQ artists]]
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[[Category:Sarah Lawrence College alumni]]
[[Category:Swiss emigrants to the United States]]
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[[Category:Suicides by hanging in Switzerland]]
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[[Category:American lesbian artists]]

Latest revision as of 03:16, 24 September 2024

Sonia Sekula
Sonja Sekula at Andre Breton's Atelier NY 1945
Born(1918-04-08)April 8, 1918
Lucerne, Switzerland
DiedApril 25, 1963(1963-04-25) (aged 45)
Zürich, Switzerland
NationalitySwiss, American
Known forPainting
MovementAbstract Expressionism

Sonja Sekula (8 April 1918 – 25 April 1963) (also known as Sonia Sekula) was an American artist linked with the abstract expressionist movement, notable for her activity as an "out" lesbian in the New York art world during the 1940s and early 1950s.[1]

She met the surrealists in exile in New York during 1942.[2] On 25 April 1963, she hanged herself in her studio in Zurich after many years of mental health issues.[3] She is buried in St. Moritz as she had requested in a letter to her mother.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Sonja Sekula was born in Lucerne on 8 April 1918 to a Swiss mother, Berta Huguenin (1896–1980), and a Hungarian father, Béla Sekula (1881–1966), a philatelist.

Sekula and her family relocated to New York from Lucerne, Switzerland when she was a child. She lived in New York, New Mexico, Mexico, and in different cities in Europe.[4]

Sekula moved to New York in 1936, when her father moved his philatelic business there.[5] In a letter sent to her mother, Sonja described New York as "very gray. All the steel constructions are waking up and their steel shines towards new work."[5]

She attended school at Sarah Lawrence College but left after two years, entering the Art Students League where she studied under Dadaist George Grosz and Modernist Morris Kantor.[5]

Career

[edit]

In New York Sekula befriended American poet Carl Sandburg and met the surrealists in exile during 1942. It was during this time that she became part of an international circle of artists, writers, choreographers, and composers in New York in the 1940s, when she was in her early twenties.

Peggy Guggenheim included Sekula in the 1943 exhibition "31 Women" at her Art of This Century gallery, and gave Sekula her first solo exhibition in 1946.[5] Betty Parsons Gallery exhibited Sekula's work in 1948.[2] In 1949, she had a third one-man show and was also included in a Betty Parson's group show with Theodoros Stamos, Jackson Pollock, and Barnett Newman.[5]

Despite people holding good opinions of her work, the same could not be said about the artist. Sonja was seen as unfortunate due to not only her mental state, but also her open sexuality. Thus her work is often overlooked.[6]

Sekula returned to Switzerland with her family in 1955 and remained there for the rest of her life, although she did return to New York in 1957.[5] In 1955 Sekula had a solo exhibition at Galerie Palette, Zurich.[2]

Her work is in the collections of the Irish Museum of Modern Art,[7] the Museum of Modern Art,[8] the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts,[9] and the Walker Art Center.[10] In 2016 her biography was included in the exhibition catalogue Women of Abstract Expressionism organized by the Denver Art Museum.[11]

Personal life

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Sonja was extremely passionate about her artwork, expressing how proud she was to be around all the other artists and movements in New York during the 1940s. Her instructor described her as being "easy to get along with" yet also being "highly disturbed"[5] When compared to her other students, Kantor explained "no matter what she did it was of great interest compared with the other students. She was always one of the best in the class. Her work was much more creative and moving than most; it always had great spirit."[5]

After joining the Student’s Art league she met André Breton and started joining meetings for the Surrealist Group in exile. She grew very close with him and his wife. Through the group she also became close friends with poet Charles Duit, sculptor David Hare, and Alice Rahon.[12]

On a trip to Tanjiers in 1950 to meet Paul Bowles, Joseph Glasco was introduced to Sekula by Jane Bowles.[13] Sekula and Glasco remained friends when they returned to New York. In April 1951, the day after the opening of her third exhibition at Betty Parsons Gallery, Sekula suffered a breakdown and had to be taken to the psychiatric clinic of the New York Hospital in White Plains by Manina Thoren and Joseph Glasco.[1]

Sonja Sekula was also extremely open about her homosexuality, and made frequent references to it in her writings and journals. In one entry, she wrote the following:

1960: "Let homosexuality be forgiven, let us hope that she will be welcome in the Greek mythology and protected by pagan nature gods as well for most often she did not sin against nature but tried to be true to the law of her own - To feel guilt about having loved a being of your own kind body and soul is hopeless - let us hope there were many pure moments in each of these attractions and loves - into which the realm of sphere and eternity and silence entered as well."[5]

Sonja Sekula had a history of mental illness, having been admitted to several mental health clinics throughout her life.[2] This aspect of her life was also well-documented in her own writings and journals:

1957: "I do not feel part of any country or race. I was well when they called me sick and often sick when they thought I am well. Have in thoughts been surprised at the vanity of others and surprised also at my own."[5] 1961: "I hope to die without too much pain. Life was an interesting experience. I do not regret it-"[5]

Exhibitions

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Bibliography

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  • Womb - poem and drawing - VVV, March 1943
  • Who was Sonia Sekula?, Art in America, October 1971[5]
  • A Golden Girl Escaping Into Infinity, New York Times, 20 September 1996[18]
  • Sonja Sekula - Im Zeichen der Frage, im Zeichen der Antwort. Ausgewählte Texte und Wortbilder, (in German and English) Lenos Verlag, Zürich 1996. ISBN 3-85787-250-0
  • Dunkelschwestern - Annemarie von Matt und Sonja Sekula, by Roger Perret and Roman Kurzmeyer, 2008
  • Sonja Sekula & Friends, by Kunstmuseum Luzern, 2016
  • "Sekula, Sonja". SIKART Lexicon on art in Switzerland.

References

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  1. ^ Mann, Richard G. "Page 1 Sekula, Sonja (1918-1963)" (PDF). glbtq, Inc. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Sonja Sekula - Time Line". www.sonja-sekula.org. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  3. ^ "Sekula, Sonja (1918-1963)". www.glbtq.com. Archived from the original on 2006-03-19.
  4. ^ "Sonja Sekula's Time May Have Finally Come". Hyperallergic. 2017-04-30. Retrieved 2020-04-27.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Foote, Nancy (October 1971). "Who Was Sonia Sekula?". Art in America: 73–80.
  6. ^ Davis, Whitney (1994). Gay and lesbian studies in art history. Whitney Davis. New York [New York]. ISBN 978-1-317-99186-1. OCLC 1097164090.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ "Sonja Sekula". Irish Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  8. ^ "The Voyage". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Sonja Sekula". PAFA - Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  10. ^ "Sonja Sekula". Walker Art Center. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  11. ^ Marter, Joan M. (2016). Women of abstract expressionism. Denver New Haven: Denver Art Museum Yale University Press. p. 196. ISBN 9780300208429.
  12. ^ Surrealist women : an international anthology. Penelope Rosemont. London: Athlone Press. 1998. ISBN 978-0-567-17128-3. OCLC 318010471.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. ^ Raeburn, Michael (2015). Joseph Glasco: The Fifteenth American. London: Cacklegoose Press. p. 74. ISBN 9781611688542.
  14. ^ Butler, Cornelia H.; Schwartz, Alexandra (2010). Modern Women: Women Artists at The Museum of Modern Art. New York: Museum of Modern Art. p. 45. ISBN 9780870707711.
  15. ^ Hillsmith, Fannie; Mason, Alice Trumbull; Sterne, Hedda; Sekula, Sonia; West, Pennerton; Frankenthaler '49, Helen; Lindeberg, Linda; Mitchell, Joan; Fine, Perle; Goossen, E. C. (20 March 1953). "Nine Women Painters (Exhibition Program)". Bennington College. Retrieved 24 April 2023.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Nedo, Kito (2 June 2022). "Sonja Sekula's Peculiar Architectures". Frieze (229). Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  17. ^ a b Glueck, Grace (20 September 1996). "A Golden Girl Escaping Into Infinity". New York Times. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  18. ^ "Sonja Sekula, Max Ernst, Jackson Pollock & Friends". Kunstmuseum Luzern. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  19. ^ Yau, John (30 April 2017). "Sonja Sekula's Time May Have Finally Come". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  20. ^ Wije, Michele (2019). "Sonja Sekula". In Wije, Michele (ed.). Sparkling Amazons: Abstract Expressionism of the 9th St. Show. Katonah, NY: Katonah Museum of Art. pp. 68–77. ISBN 978-0-578-55-498-3.
  21. ^ Keane, Tim (30 November 2019). "Positively Ninth Street Women". Hyperallergic.

Further reading

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