Ann Cooper
Self Portraits: A Memorial Exhibition

First Street Gallery, 526 West 26th Street, Suite 915, will exhibit “Self Portraits” by Ann Cooper from October 5 – October 30, with an opening reception on Saturday, October 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ann Cooper (1946 – 2003) painted 25 self-portraits, one each year from 1978 to 2003, the year of her death. These remarkable paintings, started each year on her birthday, provide the viewer with a unique opportunity to examine her artistic evolution over a quarter of a century. Her other work reflected her ongoing interests, both emotional and intellectual, and these self-portraits serve as a personal summation of each year. The portraits were for herself alone. Most of her friends, family and co-workers never knew of their existence and she showed them to no one before her death. She had, however, arranged for them to be exhibited at the First Street Gallery this October. “Self Portraits” is a unique view, over time, of the work of this singular, thematic artist, an opportunity to see the history of her painting and view the chronological development of her work.

Ann Cooper’s previous one-person shows at the First Street Gallery include:

• Acanthus Perspectives — 2001
• Watercolors — 1997
• Roseland Paintings — 1995
• Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice series — 1991

“(Cooper) relates domestic tales that engage the mind and eye as completely as a teacup does a hand. (She) fills her still lifes with bits and pieces of what we take to be her personal history: objects she’s collected, postcards she’s received… It’s narrative painting, but not illustrational, so viewers can bring their own stories to Cooper’s.” — Karen Chambers

“Ms Cooper is obviously a skilled painter attempting to confront the postmodern condition and make some sense of the fragmentation that characterizes contemporary reality. Her use of the conventional still-life format to address her major concerns is clever and highly successful.” — Tom Patterson, Winston-Salem Journal

Background:

Ann Cooper was born and raised in Greenwich Village. She attended the Little Red Schoolhouse and City College. She studied art at the Art Student’s League and the Parsons School of Design. After several years in Connecticut, she returned to New York to live and paint in Soho. For years she was an active member of Lower Manhattan Loft Tenants, working tirelessly to ensure that artists could continue to live and work in their studios throughout downtown Manhattan.

Cooper had a full career with exhibitions at the First Street Gallery; the Pratt Manhattan Gallery and the Pratt Institute Gallery, Brooklyn; the Newport Art Museum in Rhode Island; the Salem College Fine Arts Center, North Carolina; the National Art Center, New York — to name just a few. Her fellowships included the MacDowell Colony, the Ragdale Foundation, Blue Mountain, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts and the Krasner-Pollack Foundation.

Her work is included in the collections of Fidelity Investments, ASCAP, KPMG Peat Marwick, and the Coca-Cola Company.

September 13, 2004