Dorothy Dehner

Dorothy Dehner (1901–1994) was an influential American artist who worked with drawing, painting, printmaking, and most notably sculpture.

Dehner's legacy has been overshadowed by her ex-husband, the acclaimed sculptor David Smith, for many years. Stifled by their tumultuous relationship, Dehner would only fully commit to her practice after divorcing him in 1951. This break was highly fruitful for her artistic output and reputation in the following years.

After the divorce, Dehner refined her artistic voice and expanded her practice to include printmaking and sculpture. Her new-found independence and renewed ambition led to a pivotal relationship with the esteemed printmaking studio Atelier 17. Working there she formed a close and enduring friendship with Louise Nevelson. 

Simultaneously spontaneous and architectural, Dehner's oeuvre resists categorization. Marked intricate linework and structural geometric forms, the artist blends organic abstraction with an innate sense of rhythm and balance. 

To learn more about Dorothy Dehner's oeuvre, we recommend exploring the online holdings of her work at the National Gallery of Art (Washington D.C.) and the MoMA (NYC).