Acclaimed American painter, Pat Steir, widely celebrated for her revolutionary and vibrant waterfall-inspired artworks, passed away on April 20, 2023, at the age of 87. The news of her demise was confirmed by the Cheim & Read gallery, her long-term representative. Steir’s cause of death remains undisclosed.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 20, 1936, Patricia Passlof excelled in her journey as an artist, eventually earning global recognition as Pat Steir. An alumnus of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and Boston University College of Fine Arts, Steir marked her presence in the art world with her abstract expressionist paintings, notably the “Waterfall” series.
Steir’s paintings often married the eastern philosophy with western gestural painting, resulting in a unique blend of art that found admirers worldwide. Her “Waterfall” series, which she began in the late 1980s, was often described as a fusion between action painting and traditional Chinese landscape painting. It brought her global acclaim and remains her most recognized collection.
In her lifetime, Steir held more than 150 solo exhibitions across the world. Her work was featured in prominent museums such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tate Modern in London, and Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Her practice, rooted in spontaneity and the surrender to the force of gravity, allowed the paint to cascade down the canvas, creating an effect reminiscent of waterfalls, hence the series name. The drops and splashes of vibrant hues were unique to every painting, a testament to her spontaneity. As she put it, “The paint itself makes the picture… I set the stage for it.”
Steir’s art has found recent resurgence online, with digital media platforms introducing her work to newer audiences. Various online forums like TheArtGorgeous, prominent for amplifying women artists, hailed Steir as an unforgettable artistic force. Meanwhile, social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter saw a flood of tributes pouring in, celebrating her artistic journey and the impact she had on modern art.
Art critic and curator Roberta Smith, during her coverage of Steir’s 2019 exhibition at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, wrote for The New York Times, “The works affirm Ms. Steir’s place in the recent history of abstract painting as an innovator who has expanded the field and combines thought and technique in an ever-personal way.”
In 1995, Steir was granted an honorary doctorate by her alma mater, Pratt Institute, and in 2018, she was bestowed with the National Artist Award by the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, recognizing her significant contribution to and achievements in the field of contemporary art.
Beyond her iris-blue eyes and dainty elegance, Steir was also known for her spirited personality. Fellow painter Sue Williams recounted amusing stories of their time together, speaking to The New Yorker in 2019, “She’s incredibly intelligent, she reads voraciously. Also, she beat me at Ping-Pong consistently.”
Steir is survived by her spouse, Joost Elffers, a graphic designer and book producer, whom she married in 1989. Her former students, close associates, and the global art community mourn her passing.
The demise of Pat Steir marks the end of an epoch for abstract expressionism. However, her trajectory of creation, her philosophy of ‘letting the paint take its course,’ and her significant contribution to modern art will live on in the halls of art history. Her dynamic, vibrant cascades stopped, yet her waterfall perpetually flows in the colors that remain on her canvas and the imprints in the hearts of art aficionados worldwide.
Original Source: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-pat-steir-colorful-cascading-waterfall-paintings-dies-87
