The University of Iowa has loaned 23 works of art by Eve Drewelowe (1899-1988) to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art for the first significant exhibition of the artist’s work since 1988. Drewelowe was born in New Hampton, Iowa, and became the first person to receive a Master of Arts degree in art from the University of Iowa in 1924. She spent most of her adult life in Boulder, Colorado, where she was a passionate and prolific artist, and at her death bequeathed nearly 1000 works of art to the UI School of Art and Art History.
Says CRMA Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Kate Kunau, “Eve Drewelowe: Painting Her Way is a vibrant celebration of a relatively unknown woman artist's lifelong devotion to painting her surroundings. While Painting Her Way shows only a small selection of Drewelowe's output, they’re a wonderful representation of the whole.”
Drewelowe’s subject matter ranged from portraits and landscapes in the 1930s and 1940s to lively abstracts on distinctive round canvases from the 1950s through the 1980s. Drewelowe’s bright palette and bold use of line was part of a distinctive style that still resonates today. This exhibition celebrates the dramatic western landscape paintings and figural works Drewelowe in the first half of her career and to which she returned again toward the end of her life.
Curator of the Drewelowe Collection in the UI School of Art and Art History, Professor Joni Kinsey, says, “The collection is an invaluable resource for the University of Iowa. Every year art history graduate students work gain valuable curatorial experience as research assistants, and the collection is available for classes to visit. The entire collection, including the artist’s papers, has also been digitized on the Iowa Digital Library (https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui%3Adrewelowe), providing a rich resource for the public and a glimpse into the work an important woman artist of the twentieth century.”
Eve Drewelowe, In Short Sprite, 1940, oil on canvas, 34 x 40 inches, courtesy of The University of Iowa School of Art and Art History
Eve Drewelowe, Rickrack Rimrock, 1943, oil on canvas, 27 ¼ x 34 ¼ inches, courtesy of The University of Iowa School of Art and Art History
Eve Drewelowe, Maverick (Self Portrait), 1984, oil on canvas, 33 7/8 x 28 inches, courtesy of The University of Iowa School of Art and Art History
This exhibition and accompanying educational programming have been made possible in part by Collins Aerospace. Additional annual support has been provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Program Support Grant Fund of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, members of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, and contributors to the Museum’s Annual Fund. Annual educational programming has been supported in part by Transamerica.
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The mission of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is to excite, engage, and educate through the arts. The Museum’s collection contains more than 8000 works of art by hundreds of artists, including the world's largest collection of works by Grant Wood. For more information on exhibitions or related programs call the Museum at 319.366.7503 or visit the Museum's website at www.crma.org. Museum Hours: noon to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; noon to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday; 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Grant Wood Studio Hours: noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (April-December). For more information please visit www.crma.org or find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.