Queen of bohemian artists, staple of the Chicago jazz scene, jazz witch, creator of mystical women, cats and owls. Collections of her extraordinary work have raised both a definite interest in people eager to buy vintage paintings and millions of dollars for those putting out antique paintings for sale, and individual, almost psychedelic pieces have tripled in theirs antique valuations - it's all about Gertrude Abercrombie.
Abercrombie's esoteric work boasts an exquisite colour palette of twilight pastels and many recurring motifs - from owls, cats, moons and ethereal figures to houses, stairs and doors. The mystical surrealism definitely captured the hearts of antique dealers that buy antiques – and as a result, the collection of works by the late Chicago surrealist artist sold for more over $2.8 million at Hindman 2022. The auction's top lot was a supposedly supernatural self-portrait titled Me and the Cat named Possim, which antique painting price reached $375,000. Who would ever refuse to buy antique art containing mystical kitties?
Gertrude Abercrombie's 1950 oil painting Strange Shadows (Shadows and Substance). SOURCE: npr.org
Creator of mystical kitties was born in Chicago to a family of opera artists and lived and worked there. Gertrude Abercrombie's life began rather creatively: her parents, opera musicians, were on tour when the birth began. The future "queen" was born in Austin. She spent her childhood on and off the road, but Abercrombie spent her adolescence and much of her later life in a house near Hyde Park.
Naturally, a creative family is the key to a child's artistic journey. The artist has had a passion for music, dance and painting since childhood and received a specialist education but has always treated herself with humour:
"I'm not sure I'm a good painter, but I'm sure I'm a great artist. A painter knows how to apply the paint exactly where it's needed. I often fail, but I always have an idea," she said.
In the forties of the twentieth century, Abercrombie was already very much involved in the bohemian scene. Jazz concerts, music nights - she was everywhere. It was at this time that she was known as the 'queen of bohemian artists'. However, there is an opinion that Abercrombie invented the title herself.
Gertrude had many friends, mainly from the artistic world - including some of the big names in Chicago jazz - but despite this her favourite subject of choice was loneliness. Most of her compositions depict a lonely woman in a light fluttering dress, often with the attributes of magic - a black cat, an owl, a broom. Gertrude said she always painted herself. And in fact, the woman on many canvases is tall and thin, and her facial features are sharp. Just like Gertrude, who often hid her appearance under a pointed velvet hat.
Gertrude Abercrombie in front of Slaughterhouse Ruins at Aledo, c. 1937. SOURCE: karmakarma.org
The artist's art is deeply symbolic, but unlike Dali or Magritte, the symbolism in Abercrombie's paintings is personal, highly intimate, often even requiring a more detailed dive into her biography. Although she cited René Magritte as a key source of inspiration, Abercrombie was largely responsible for the development of her own brilliant and seductive Surrealist style in the distant suburbs of 1930s Chicago, where artists and musicians lovingly called her 'Queen Gertrude' (she was close friends with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie).
Abercrombie's surrealism is very feminine, soft, devoid of the emphasised sexuality, assertiveness and excess inherent in her male counterparts.
Cover image: pafa.org