February 12, 2025
Born on February 12, 1925, painter Joan Mitchell created powerful abstract works that left an indelible legacy on the art world and continue to resonate with artists and audiences today, more than 30 years after her passing in 1992. The Joan Mitchell Foundation will commemorate Mitchell’s centennial throughout 2025 with a robust series of programs and events—anchored by presentations of her work in museum collections around the world—developed in collaboration with partners in the United States and France, where Mitchell lived for much of her life. The Foundation also will significantly expand the information about Mitchell’s life and creative context made available through its own website and social media, including digitally releasing a documentary film on Mitchell that has been unavailable for many years. Together, these activities give a wide range of audiences an opportunity to experience her work and learn more about her life, career, and enduring influence.
“The centennial is an important occasion both to honor Joan Mitchell’s creative process and remarkable contributions to abstract painting, and to foster a deeper understanding of her lasting legacy and, especially, her support for other artists,” said Christa Blatchford, Executive Director of the Joan Mitchell Foundation. “Throughout the centennial year programs, we will be highlighting Mitchell’s vital role in art history, which continues to inspire new interpretations, contrasts, and points of comparison that underscore her unique vision. At the same time, this year of programming and related announcements will spotlight the artists and communities whose work and creativity Mitchell generously supported during her lifetime and, through this Foundation, after her death.”
More than 70 museums across the United States, France, and Australia will display nearly 100 works by Mitchell over the course of the year. Among the 52 museums in the U.S., presentations range from major art museums like the Art Institute of Chicago (exhibiting City Landscape, 1955), the Whitney Museum of American Art (showcasing Hemlock, 1956); the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC (exhibiting Cercando un Ago, 1959); and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (with two works on view, including Bracket, 1989); to important regional institutions such as the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh (where Low Water, 1979, is on view) and the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama (showing Bonjour Julie, 1971), and academic museums like the Colby College Museum of Art in Maine (showcasing Chamrousse, 1967-68), and the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, TX (exhibiting Rock Bottom, 1960).
In Europe, more than a dozen institutions, including both prominent and regional museums, are joining the celebration, from the Centre Pompidou in Paris, to the Musée des Impressionnismes Giverny, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lisbon. Additionally, in Australia, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria will both have Mitchell works on view. A full list and interactive map of participating institutions is available on the Foundation’s website and will be updated regularly.
To further increase access to information on Mitchell’s life and work, today the Foundation launched an expanded Joan Mitchell section on its website, including opportunities to stream Marion Cajori’s 1992 film Joan Mitchell: Portrait of an Abstract Painter, read more about her process and studios, and take a closer look at key works. These new educational resources also include a video overview of Mitchell’s life and practice, which shares insights from Sarah Roberts, the Foundation’s Senior Director of Curatorial Affairs and co-curator of the recent Mitchell retrospective; and Laura Morris, the Foundation’s Director of Archives & Research.
A full listing of Joan Mitchell Centennial programs and the new educational resources can all be found at joanmitchellfoundation.org/joanmitchell100.
