One of the most prolific, popular and longest living student of Robert Henri’s “Ashcan” style of American modernism,
Theresa Bernstein – studying at the Art Students League in New York – contributed to and lead the clarion call of
a liberating, personalized American modernism. Nothing captures her diverse and inclusionary modernist ethos than
her beloved beach figures – squint and imagine this provocative scene today!
Theresa Bernstein
Gloucester Tugboat
Feminist, activist, poet, and celebrated artist Theresa Bernstein was an icon of the modernist movement and created her own art school in Gloucester in the 1920’s.
Good Harbor Beach
One of the youngest members – and one of the few women – of the movement which came to be known as the “Ashcan School,” Theresa Bernstein studied and painted closely with the most prominent American artists of her time. Her unique modernist style defined her – even amongst these greats – as she depicted the world and its unglamorized realities.
Living fully with elegance and vigor, Theresa painted into her one-hundredth year.
Dahlias and Daisies
One of the youngest members – and one of the few women – of the movement which came to be known as the “Ashcan School,” Theresa Bernstein studied and painted closely with the most prominent American artists of her time. Her unique modernist style defined her – even amongst these greats – as she depicted the world and its unglamorized realities. Living fully with elegance and vigor, Theresa created this stunning, provocative floral at age 103.
Docks at Gloucester
One of the youngest members (and one of the few women) of the movement which came to be known as the “Ashcan School,” Theresa Bernstein studied and painted closely with the most prominent American artists of her time. Her unique modernist style defined her – even amongst these greats – as she depicted the world and its unglamorized realities. This vibrant watercolor captures the energy of the bustling waterfront, and one can’t help but wonder about the identity of the artist in the foreground…