Paper Plates

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.