Ufer, Mary Monrad (Frederiksen) (1869-1947)

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Mary Monrad came from an artistic family. She studied at the Académie Julian with Benjamin Constant and Jean-Paul Laurens, and with James Whistler. In 1906 she married Walter Ufer, a fellow painter, while both were living in Chicago. Thereafter her life was a struggle due to family finances, his alcoholism-fueled anger, and gender norms that forced her into a role supporting her husband. In 1914 the two moved to Taos, NM, and became influential figures in its nascent artists' colony. In order to make ends meet she gave art lectures across the country, becoming a sought-after speaker and promoting the work of Taos artists. She was teaching art classes for the WPA art classes in Minneapolis, MN when her husband died in 1936; moving to New York forced her from the New Mexico relief rolls, and in New York she had trouble securing support because she was over 65 years of age. It is the state’s good fortune that eventually Federal Art Project support was granted. 1 work at the Harwood Museum. 11 more images at FAP.


Sources Consulted: Dean Porter, Teresa Hayes Ebie and Suzan Campbell, Taos Artists and Their Patrons, 1898-1950 (University of New Mexico, 1999); Lonnie Pierson Dunbier, AskArt.com

Works in the New Deal Collection at GVCA by Mary Monrad Ufer:

Featured
Sun Worshipers
Sun Worshipers

Brilliant colors of red, white, green, and deep blues and purples stand out in this crown of flowers set against a monochrome backdrop. The flowers are supported via ceramic vase, as the flowers fawn out from the mouth of the vase; this whole arrangement supported by a small, light grey table that seems to blend the foreground into the background. The grey, monochromatic backdrop presents a calming effect as the eye is drawn to the bright flora. It is impossible to miss the South Western painted rooster that sits beside the vase, adding yet another element of character and culture to the piece.

uferGVCA