
Paper Plates
<p>A gifted modernist who studied art at the Drexel Institute of Art, Science, and Industry in Pennsylvania, Helen Torr struggled for recognition throughout her career, her accomplishments often overshadowed by those of her second husband, Arthur Dove. Like him, she exhibited in the New York gallery of the photographer and dealer Alfred Stieglitz, who eventually described Torr’s work as “too frail.” A reappraisal of her work in recent decades, however, has garnered her a place of significance among the New York avant-garde. This watercolor demonstrates her willingness to experiment and her interest in flat, rhythmic designs and distinctive color.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1929
- Dimensions
- 30.4 × 22.6 cm (12 × 8 15/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Helen Torr
Artist

Painting
Helen Torr was an American modernist painter working primarily in oil and watercolor from the early twentieth century until her death in 1967. Her abstract compositions employ geometric forms and a restrained palette to explore the relationship between color, shape, and spatial depth. Born in 1886, Torr developed her practice across several decades of American modernism, contributing to the formal innovations of her era.
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More by Helen Torr
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Helen Torr
- Year
- 1929
- Dimensions
- 30.4 × 22.6 cm (12 × 8 15/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1929-019246
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified


