Native New Yorker Loren MacIver took Saturday painting classes at the Art Students League as a youth. After that, the then 10-year old refused to take any further training. Fast forward to 1935, when she became the first woman to enter the Museum of Modern Art’s collection. Primarily self-taught as an artist, McIver found success in a time when women faced extreme difficulty gaining notice among art critics and dealers. She was only one of three women included in Advancing American Art, a short-lived U.S. State Department-produced touring exhibition in support of American ideals and art.

“Finit” is inspired by the sights of Cape Cod. Delicate brushwork and a soft palette evoke early morning light at water’s edge. The rising sun begins to dry the atmosphere, and elements both near and far gradually emerge from the gauzy haze. MacIver is frequently compared to the artist Paul Klee. Like Klee and the Surrealists, MacIver seems to elicit revelations from the realm of the subconscious.

Loren MacIver
(American, 1909–1998)
Finit, 1939
Oil on canvas
21 x 34 ½ inches
Museum purchase with funds provided by the 1072 Society, 2019