Mary Obering (1937 – July 29, 2022) was an American painter focusing mainly on

geometric abstraction Geometric abstraction is a form of abstract art based on the use of geometric forms sometimes, though not always, placed in non-illusionistic space and combined into non-objective (non-representational) compositions. Although the genre was popu ...

Early life and education

Obering was born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1937. When Obering was a teenager, she visited Italy for the first time – the formative trip introduced her to art and

Renaissance painting Renaissance art (1350 – 1620) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occurr ...

, an experience that Obering said "was always in the back of ermind." Obering received her BA in psychology from

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

Roanoke, Virginia Roanoke ( ) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It lies in Southwest Virginia, along the Roanoke River, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge range of the greater Appalachian Mountains. Roanok ...

in 1959. Later that year, she attended graduate school for

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

, studying under noted behavioral psychologist

B.F. Skinner Burrhus Frederic Skinner (March 20, 1904 – August 18, 1990) was an American psychologist, behaviorist, inventor, and social philosopher. He was the Edgar Pierce Professor of Psychology at Harvard University from 1948 until his retirement in 1 ...

, who taught at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

at the time. Obering then moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to work for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

, where she studied at the

Art Students League 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 ...

. In the mid-1960s she moved again, this time to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

with her husband and young daughter and received an MFA from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

in 1971.

Style and technique

Obering began in sculpture, but soon moved into painting. Her first paintings were Color Field paintings, inspired by

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko ( ; Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz until 1940; September 25, 1903February 25, 1970) was an American abstract art, abstract painter. He is best known for his color field paintings that depicted irregular and painterly rectangular reg ...

. Obering continued to work in abstraction, while incorporating techniques, such as gilded wood panels, that are reminiscent of early Italian art''.'' Critics have also described her work as looking like "an exotic form of sculpture."

Exhibitions

In September 2018, Obering had a solo exhibition in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

at Kayne Griffin Corcoran where she exhibited

acrylic Acrylic may refer to: Chemicals and materials * Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound * Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity * Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosettin ...

on canvas paintings from the 1970s. Obering is represented by both Kayne Griffin Corcoran in Los Angeles and Bortolami in New York. Selected Exhibition History: * Group: ** Denver Art Museum, 1969 ** Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (Biennial), 1975 ** Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, 2002 ** Robin Rule Gallery of Contemporary Art, Denver, 2003 * Solo: ** Great Western United Galleries, Denver, 1971 ** University of Denver Galleries, Denver, 1971 ** Artists Space, New York, 1973 ** Soho Center for the Visual Arts, New York 1973 ** Interart Gallery, New York, 1981 ** Julian Pretto Gallery, San Jose, Costa Rica, 1983 ** Jan Turner Gallery, Los Angeles, California, 1990 ** Julian Pretto Gallery, New York 1990 ** Plus-Kern Gallery, Brussels, Belgium 1991 ** Julian Pretto Gallery, New York 1991 ** Jan Turner Gallery, Los Angeles 1992 ** Julian Pretto Gallery, New York 1993 ** Jan Turner Gallery, Los Angeles, California, 1994 ** Galerie Hugo Minnen, Antwerp, Belgium, 1994 ** Littlejohn/Sternau Gallery, New York, 1995 ** Primo Piano, Rome, Italy, 1996 ** Robin Rule Modern and Contemporary Art, Denver, 1996 ** Hugo Minnen Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium, 1997 ** Robin Rule Modern and Contemporary Art, Denver, 1999 ** Marfa Hotel, Marfa, Texas, 2000 ** Gallery 668, Greenwich, New York, 2001 ** Ninni Esposito Arte Contemporanea, Bari Italy, 2001 ** Rule Modern and Contemporary Art, Denver, 2003 ** Gallery 668 Greenwich, New York, 2004 ** Studio G7 Bologna, Italy, 2006 ** Ninni Esposito Arte Conteporanea, Bari, Italy, 2007

Personal life and death

Obering died in New York City on July 29, 2022, at the age of 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obering, Mary 1937 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American women painters 20th-century American painters 21st-century American women painters 21st-century American painters American abstract painters Painters from Louisiana People from Shreveport, Louisiana