Shirley Gorelick: Figuring It Out
In the 1960s and ’70s, art critics often overlooked realist painters, particularly women. Shirley Gorelick (1924–2000) persisted in developing a bold approach to figure painting. She also maintained an unwavering feminist outlook, serving as a trailblazing founder of women’s cooperative galleries around New York City in the 1970s. This exhibition, centered on three major paintings by Gorelick in NMWA’s collection, highlights her piercing vision of humankind as well as her varied printmaking and drawing practices.
Gorelick studied with numerous esteemed American artists, including Abstract Expressionists Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) and Grace Hartigan (1922–2008). Yet she also admired old and modern masters such as Titian (ca. 1488–1576) and Paul Gauguin (1848–1903). Drawing inspiration from their compositions while also reveling in the vitality of working with models in her suburban New York studio, she painted figures at large scale with energetic brushwork and high-keyed colors.
Through the 1960s, Gorelick concentrated on the formal beauty and expressive range of the nude figure. In the 1970s, as she pursued a greater level of detail, she also increased her focus on the psyches and moods of her models. She formed a particularly rich artist-model partnership with her friend Libby Ourlicht (1921–1995), whose image features in many works in this exhibition.
Art historians typically frame the story of American art of the 1960s and ’70s around the emergence of mediums such as video and performance art. Shirley Gorelick’s dynamic paintings, prints, and drawings inspire a new understanding of the breadth and richness of New York art in the mid-twentieth century.
Shirley Gorelick: Figuring It Out is organized by the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The exhibition is made possible through a generous grant from the Revada Foundation of the Logan Family.
Non-flash photography is encouraged. Share and tag us on social media: #NMWAnow @WomenInTheArts.
Three Graces #1, ca. 1967
Etching on paper; Private collection
Untitled (Standing female nude with hands on hips), ca. late 1960s
Etching on paper; Private collection
Untitled (Two studies of Libby reclining), ca. 1970-74
Pencil on paper; Private collection
Reclining Nude in Sunlight, ca. 1965
Etching on paper; Private collection
Three More Views of Libby, ca. 1969
Acrylic on canvas; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Jamie Gorelick and Steven Gorelick
Gorelick developed her Three Graces compositions to present more mature models, including Libby Ourlicht, the subject of this painting. The two women knew one another before their artistic partnership began, and they shared a commitment to progressive politics and social causes. Gorelick positioned Ourlicht’s figure close to the picture plane and emphasized her relaxed body positions to convey a sense of her seriousness and strength.
Seated Libby, ca. 1973-74
Etching on paper; Private collection
Gorelick created this image of Libby Ourlicht using short, vigorous lines that define the shadows of her body, differing from the blurred effect present in earlier etchings. By creating a wide range of images of her friend, Gorelick sought to convey the nuances of her personality. She created this print with great care for detail, unveiling a contemplative Ourlicht whose gaze falls beyond the page as her body remains still.
Seated Figure, 1974
Etching on paper; Private collection
Untitled (Self-portrait), ca. 1965
Etching on paper; Private collection
Self-Portrait, ca. 1965
Etching on paper; Private collection
Self-Portrait No. 7, ca. 1965
Etching on paper; Private collection
Although Gorelick preferred to create portraits of others, she often used her own image to experiment with new styles and techniques. Shown here in both profile and frontal view, the artist appears serious and focused. Precise lines define her facial features, while blended shadows sweep softly across the page. With the same method of repetition that Gorelick used to study others, this double self-portrait offers an intriguing moment of introspection.
Three Graces I, 1967
Acrylic on canvas; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Jamie S. Gorelick
When Gorelick began working in a realist style in the mid-1960s, she was drawn to the classical theme of the Three Graces. Traditionally, the Graces personified feminine ideals such as beauty, kindness, and elegance. Gorelick portrayed her model, Sandy, as powerful and confident in each of the three poses. On this larger-than-life scale, she stands tall with her feet anchored in shadows. Adding broad outlines and saturated colors, Gorelick presented her subject as a powerful woman.
Lee II, 1978
Silverpoint on canvas; Private collection
Tess Smiling, 1980-81
Silverpoint on canvas; Private collection
Gorelick produced several outsized silverpoint drawings of close friends on large, round canvases. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance tradition of the tondo, a painting or relief sculpture made in a circular format, this drawing portrays psychoanalyst Tess Forrest. Deeply empathetic and devoted to conveying her subjects’ essential character, Gorelick relished depicting people she knew and admired.
Gunny and Lee II, 1979
Acrylic on canvas; Private collection
The Bensons II, 1979
Acrylic on canvas; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Jamie Gorelick and Steven Gorelick
In this double portrait of Lee and Gunny Benson, friends from Gorelick’s college years, the artist conveyed her close relationship with the couple by presenting them informally. Lee’s casual, rumpled clothing and Gunny’s graceful pose signal their approachability, while their lowered brows also suggest fatigue or weariness. Gorelick’s portrayal of Gunny Benson in her wheelchair, which she used to manage her muscular dystrophy, had few antecedents in the history of American painting.
Untitled (Standing figure), ca. 1976
Graphite on paper; Private collection
Typical of Gorelick’s more precise techniques in the 1970s, short, tidy lines carve the shape of the figure in this work. At first glance, the drawing appears to be a practical study of the female body. However, the model’s crossed arms, sharply inclined head, and longing expression suggest the artist’s focus on capturing emotional depth. Gorelick deftly depicted the young woman lost in her inner world.
Sandy, ca. late 1960s
Etching on paper; Private collection
Untitled (Westchester Gauguin Study), ca. 1974
Acrylic on canvas; Private collection
This cool-toned, bust-length portrait presents three young women—daughters of a friend—wearing robes. The figures share a solemn mood, yet subtle differences in their expressions and body language highlight their individuality. The piercing gaze of the young woman on the left, the daydreaming woman in the middle, and the uninterested expression of the third woman reveal Gorelick’s interest in highlighting the range of her models’ psyches.
Three Graces VII, ca. 1968
Acrylic on canvas; Private collection
Untitled (Two standing female nudes), ca. late 1960s
Etching on paper; Private collection
Gorelick learned printmaking techniques from an artist-neighbor near her home in Great Neck, New York. She experimented with color, line, and shape in her prints to evoke moods beyond the stately sensibility of her painted compositions. In this etching, she used colored inks to layer washes of deep color and a mottled texture over the figures, giving them a jazzy, modern look.
Standing Pink Nude, 1962
Etching on paper; Private collection
Three Graces, ca. 1968-73
Etching on translucent plastic; Private collection
Untitled (Standing figure, back view), ca. late 1960s
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
Untitled (Libby seated nude), ca. 1970-74
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
Untitled (Studies of a female nude and pair of hands), ca. late 1960s
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
Untitled (Libby reclining nude), ca. 1970-74
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
Untitled (Libby reclining nude), ca. 1970-74
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
Untitled (Libby seated in a floral-print dress), ca. 1970-74
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
Untitled (Head of Libby), ca. 1970-74
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
Untitled (Libby in profile), ca. 1970-74
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
To make her silverpoint drawings, Gorelick moved a silver stylus over a smooth white ground applied to a piece of Masonite. The tip of the metal stick deposited tiny particles on the prepared surface, creating fine lines. Some of Gorelick’s numerous sketches of Libby Ourlicht depict the model’s whole body; others just her head, hands, or feet. The artist exhibited many of her silverpoints, but she kept smaller, more impressionistic drawings such as this one in her studio for reference.
Untitled (Standing female nude), ca. late 1960s
Silverpoint on prepared Masonite; Private collection
Double Libby I, 1970
Acrylic on canvas; Courtesy of Eric Firestone Gallery, New York
Gorelick included this majestic double portrait in her 1974 solo exhibition at SOHO20 Gallery, one of the first spaces in New York City to showcase the work of an all-women-artist membership. Gorelick was also a founding member of Central Hall Artists Gallery, an organization for women artists in Port Washington, New York. Although she exhibited widely in group exhibitions, she focused her solo projects on the women-centered art spaces to which she belonged.
Sandy #1, ca. late 1960s
Etching on paper; Private collection
Giorgione’s Meadow, 1964-65
Acrylic on canvas; Private collection
Based on a pastoral landscape painting (formerly attributed to Giorgione, now Titian), this work represents a rare instance of Gorelick depicting her monumental figures within a luminous, abstracted landscape. Two of the subjects wear flower-patterned dresses contemporary to the 1960s, and the central figure, in a broad-brimmed hat, resembles Gorelick herself. She studied the old masters closely, and, knowing that they often tucked a self-portrait into their multi-figure compositions, she likely did the same.
Enclosed Blue Nude, ca. 1961
Acrylic on canvas; Private collection
Most of Gorelick’s early works are abstracted, reflecting the influence of her teachers, including Hans Hofmann (1880–1966), whom she met in Provincetown in 1947. The broad, energetic brushstrokes in this painting reflect her facility with Abstract Expressionist technique. Particularly proud of this painting’s brilliant blue color, Gorelick included the work in her first solo gallery exhibition, which took place in New York City in 1961.
Shirley Gorelick with Double Sema, 1996
Image courtesy of the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Shirley Gorelick on Film
The short film Shirley Gorelick: Painting and Personhood (2022; © Shirley Gorelick Foundation) features archival photographs and audio recordings as well as insights from curators and friends of the artist. Created by Max Warsh, the twenty-minute film explores Gorelick’s biography, artistic development, and commitment to portraying her broad circle of friends.
Special thanks to Max Warsh and Eric Firestone Gallery, New York, for making this available to NMWA visitors.
Related Content
Shirley Gorelick: Figuring It Out
