An exhibition of 34 oil paintings by Flora Crockett (1892-1979) will be on view at Meredith Ward Fine Art from September 25 - November 7, 2015. This will be the first exhibition of Crockett's work since the mid-1960s and marks the gallery's exclusive representation of her estate. Produced between 1966 and 1973, when the artist was in her 70s, the paintings display a vitality, joy, and confidence that resulted from a lifetime of exploration, experience, and struggle.

"It's incredibly exciting to find such original and innovative paintings that have been out of sight for fifty years," said Meredith Ward, President of the gallery. "Crockett's work speaks to a lot that is going on in contemporary painting today, so it's a privilege to rediscover them, and to introduce a new name to the story of art in the 20th century."

            By the time Crockett started work on this series, she had been active as an artist, teacher, and art administrator for more than forty years. Her paintings were shown in exhibitions in Paris and New York throughout the 1930s and 1940s, and her position as Director of Fernand Léger's Académie Moderne in Paris placed her at the center of one of the most influential art communities of the twentieth century. Nevertheless, her life and career over those decades had not been easy. Her personal papers tell a story of courage, tenacity, and repeated frustrations as she sought to do her work and earn a living. It is an all too familiar tale of an independent woman fighting for her place in the world.

            Crockett was born in Grelton, Ohio, and found her way to France in 1924 in the company of her husband, the sculptor Edmondo Quattrocchi. She enrolled in Fernand Léger's Académie Moderne in Paris, and was eventually named Director of the school. After five years with Léger and several successful exhibitions in Paris, Crockett returned to the United States in 1937. Back in New York City, Crockett found work through the WPA and continued to exhibit her paintings during the 1940s.

            After a fallow period when she took odd jobs to make ends meet, Crockett began a new and highly original series of paintings in the mid-1960s, which are the subject of this exhibition. It is possible to see echoes of her teacher Léger in these works, but Crockett eschews his static orderliness and restrained palette in favor of dynamic fluidity and exuberant color.

            The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue.  Additional images can be viewed at www.meredithwardfineart.com.