"Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered" at the American Museum of Folk Art

"Girl with Pigeons" (1942)

The American Museum of Folk Art is a gem of a museum. While not all of the artists exhibited there are self-taught, many are, including Morris Hirshfield. "Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered" is the first retrospective of his work mounted in more than 80 years. That's way overdue in my opinion. His work is so full of joy and whimsy that I couldn't stop smiling. 

Hirshfield had multiple careers before turning to art full time. After emigrating from Poland to New York, his first job was as a pattern cutter. Over time, he worked his way up to tailor and eventually opened a women's coat and suit shop with his brother. You can see the influence of his work as a tailor in his art. You might notice in "Inseparable Friends" below that the woman looking in the mirror is not actually seeing her reflection. What's with that?  I'm no seamstress, so bear with me on this. My understanding is that when you're working with a sewing pattern and fold it in half, there will be a mirror image on both sides when you reopen it. That's the equivalent of what Hirschfield has done here rather than reflect what the woman would actually see when she looked in the mirror. Hopefully this is making some sense.

"Inseparable Friends" (1941)

The other significant connection between Hirshfield's work as a tailor and his art relates as well to his life as an observant Jew. Using live models would not have been acceptable in his community. Hirshfield said, "As for models, that wouldn't do in my neighborhood. [And] sometimes I paint nudes. Could I have naked women in my house? That wouldn't look good." And so he used mannequins and dress forms instead. 

This might explain in part why the limbs on Hirshfield's figures have a tendency to be in highly unnatural positions. A woman's calf, for instance, might face an entirely different direction than the rest of her leg. In fact, Hirshfield came to be known as the "Master of the Two Left Feet" for just this reason. (If you look closely, you will see that both shoes in "Inseparable Friends" are for left feet. It's not an issue for these women.) 

The use of a mannequin as a model has also been suggested as the reason the woman in "Girl with the Pigeons" seems to be slightly hovering over the couch. Some commentators have suggested that Hirshfield painted the figure first in an upright position and then turned the canvas and finished the rest of the scene. I kind of love that. 

"The Artist and His Model" (1945)

Eventually, the Hirshfield brothers' store went bankrupt. Undaunted, Hirshfield and his wife opened a wholesale footcare business with the clever name "E-Z Walk Manufacturing Company." While the business initially specialized in arch support and ankle straighteners designed by Hirshfield, it wasn't long before a line of boudoir slippers was added to the store's offering. And they weren't just any boudoir slippers, but ones designed by Hirshfield himself. Their design was so unique that he obtained a U.S. patent on it. The slippers were wildly popular, and the business grew to an enterprise boasting 300 employees and an annual gross income of $1MM/year. In 1920 dollars, that's real money. This success enabled Hirshfield to turn to painting in his later life. He was a full-time artist for less than ten years before he died. 

Hirshfield’s first patron was art collector, dealer and businessman Sidney Janis. The story goes that Janis was visiting a gallery in search of artists to include in a show he was curating at MOMA entitled "Contemporary Unknown American Painters." Janis was leaving the gallery after an unsuccessful outing when he noticed "two forlorn canvasses faced against the wall." He took one look at Hirshfield's "Angora Cat" and was "mesmerized." That discovery launched Janis' patronage and promotion of Hirshfield and the artist's short-lived fame. (To see "Angora Cat," click here. It is now in MOMA's collection.)  

"Nude at the Window (Hot Night in July" (1941)

The exhibit contained an in-depth analysis by Janis of the artistic and cultural connections in Hirshfield's "Inseparable Friends," including Hittite reliefs and Lucas Cranach The Elder's "The Three Graces." (There are of course many iterations of The Three Graces, including the more well-known version by Botticelli, but that's a rabbit hole for another day.) I enjoyed the analysis, but the article was really just Janis showing off his own knowledge. As a self-taught artist, there's no evidence that Hirshfield knew anything about art history. Janis acknowledged this fact in his article, noting that the references he cited were possible "subconscious inspirations" for Hirshfield.  

Peggy Guggenheim was also a fan of Hirshfield's art. She purchased his "Nude at the Window (Hot Night in July)" and gave it a place of honor in her home on East 51st Street. Hirshfield was considered part of the surrealist movement, and his work was championed by French surrealist writer Andre Breton. To see a wonderful picture in which Breton, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp and Leonora Carrington take in the work at Guggenheim's townhouse, click here. Guggenheim is represented by one of her trademark fur coats that appropriately hangs on a mannequin next to the painting.  

"Stage Beauties"

An entire section of the exhibit was dedicated to the representation of female performers whom Hirshfield never would have seen in person. As a religious Jew,  to frequent the burlesque shows of the day would have been verboten. But that didn't mean the images of these women couldn't capture his imagination -- or that promotional materials for their performances couldn't serve as the inspiration for these paintings. I especially liked this series. 

Despite having found supporters in the likes of Janis and Guggenheim, Hirshfield's fame was brief. While MOMA mounted a one man show of his work in 1943 that was generally well-received, Hirshfield fell out of favor following the end of World War II. His art, along with that of other folk and self-taught artists, was no longer in vogue and became the subject of exhibits at specialty museums rather than more high profile institutions. Even now, it was the American Museum of Folk Art that hosted this retrospective. Happily, the Museum was packed with art lovers like me being introduced to Hirshfield's art. To read more about the exhibit, click here.  

Next up: "Alex Katz: Gathering" at the Guggenheim