October 5, 2024 through December 29, 2024

I don’t remember making a decision to be an artist.
I just was one.

Beth Van Hoesen, 1987

Beth Van Hoesen distinguished herself as a major figure in twentieth-century printmaking. Born in Boise, ID, Van Hoesen studied art at Stanford University, making California her home and creating art in the Bay Area for the rest of her life. The artist focused on capturing the essence of animals, flowers, people, and everyday objects in a realistic manner. She worked from life, carefully studying the animals and people that because her subjects. This intense focus distinctly captures each subject's individuality, and gives her work a supremely personal touch.

Van Hoesen began her career during an era when Abstract Expressionism, a 1940s-1960s movement that featured primarily male artists presenting hyper-masculinized public images, reigned supreme. Van Hoesen would have struggled to gain notoriety as a female artist during that time, especially given her choice of media, style, and subject matter.

…there are times that – in the process of an idea –
that you may do something that’s quite special.
It isn’t what you have in mind, but for some reason,
you’ve captured a line or a personality.

Beth Van Hoesen, Artist Interview, 1984

This dynamic exhibit features a selection of Beth Van Hoesen prints from the Arkell Museum collection.

This exhibition is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Beth Van Hoesen (1926-2010)
Oka, 1991
Aquatint, drypoint, and etching with roulette
Printed in black and light brown inks; handcolored with watercolor
Gift of the E. Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen Adams Trust, 2011