The Farnsworth Art Museum is deeply saddened by the passing of artist Dahlov Ipcar on Saturday, February 11 at the age of 99. The daughter of American modernist artists William and Marguerite Zorach, her animal-inspired paintings, children’s books, and intricate patterns and geometric designs were an inspiration to so many of all ages.

Since her first solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1939, Ipcar’s works have been collected by art institutions that include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art and the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York City. The Farnsworth Art Museum currently has eleven of Ipcar’s works in its collection, as well as a number of her children’s books which she has signed for the Library’s rare books collection. Her Farnsworth works range from books to lithographs of antelopes, tigers, and birds, to an oil painting of cats and tigers, to a fabric sculpture of a giraffe.

Farnsworth Director Christopher J. Brownawell said: “Dahlov’s influence and contributions to Maine, as well as her national reputation as a gifted artist, author and illustrator are immeasurable. She was passionate and dedicated to her craft. The Farnsworth Art Museum and Maine’s artistic community has lost a dear friend.”

“Dahlov Ipcar was a multi-talented and creative artist who grew up with art as part of her daily life, finding her own path apart from that of her well-known artist parents,” commented Farnsworth Chief Curator Michael K. Komanecky. “ She found her own voice, which was quickly recognized, having had her first one-person show at the age of 21 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  Above all, perhaps, she is remembered by those who knew her as a warm, engaging, and dedicated artist for whom making art was a daily exercise and daily pleasure.”

In 1972, Ipcar and her husband Adolph together received the Maine Governor’s Award for “significant contributions to Maine in the broad field of the arts and humanities.” She has also received honorary degrees from The University of Maine and Colby and Bates colleges. In April 1998, The University of Minnesota honored Ipcar with The Kerlan Award for Children’s Literature in recognition of the dozens of children’s books she has illustrated throughout her career. In 2012, the Farnsworth was proud to honor her remarkable contributions to American art with the Maine in America award.