Dorothy Varian (April 26, 1895 – 1985) was an American painter in New York City and

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York, Kingston. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The popula ...

, who worked primarily with watercolor and oil painting.

Early life

Varian was born on April 26, 1895, in New York City to Eugene W. and Helen Estelle Varian. She dropped out of high school at fifteen and entered

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

, from which she later graduated with honors. Varian then attended the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school in the American Fine Arts Society in Manhattan, New York City. The Arts Students League is known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may study f ...

, where she won first and second prize in a local art contest sponsored by movie producer William Fox.

Exhibitions and collections

Over the course of her career, Varian held fifteen solo exhibitions and received many awards, including the Kuniyoshi Award in 1975. She exhibited at the studio galleries of the

Whitney Museum The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

in 1928, and at the

Museum of Modern Art, New York The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, and includes over 200,000 works of arc ...

in 1936. Her work is included in the collections of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

Newark Museum of Art The Newark Museum of Art, formerly known as the Newark Museum, in Newark, New Jersey is the state's largest museum. It holds major collections of American art, decorative arts, contemporary art, and arts of Asia (including a large collection of T ...

and the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...

. Her personal papers are included in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

Personal life

Varian died in 1985 in New York City.

References

External links

1895 births 1985 deaths Painters from New York City Cooper Union alumni 20th-century American women artists 20th-century American artists Federal Art Project artists {{US-painter-1890s-stub