A 1946 Virginia Terpening oil painting.
It is said that art is in the eye of the beholder, but there are times when art comes from the most unusual places. When an unknown artist’s work is uncovered after years of seclusion, you never know what kind of find you’ve made, but the outcome is often interesting.
The Hinge art gallery, located at 410 N. Newstead in the Central West End, is looking to raise funds for a unique endeavor. Their Kickstarter, “Yes Virginia…” which ends today at 5:59 CST, is hoping to raise money to purchase pieces of Missouri artist Virginia Terpening’s personal collection that was unearthed this spring. The Hinge hopes to then hold an exhibit of Terpening’s works that shows the value of her work as a female artist during the 1950s and 60s.
Terpening won awards, had exhibits at the St. Louis Art Museum, her work was shown in New York galleries during the time of Warhol, and even painted a work for President Jimmy Carter, and yet, her name is largely unknown. Jason Geisendorfer of Lewistown discovered approximately 700 pieces of original work by Terpening this spring after purchasing a plot of land where the artist last lived before her death in 2007. He originally intended to clear away the old trailers and other items she had collected, but stumbled upon her artwork while looking for antiques and other valuables.
After some research and showing the work to area art professors, Geisendorfer learned that he had hit a sort of artwork jackpot. After trying to auction off the collection as a set, he is now in the process of accepting bids for individual pieces. This is how The Hinge hopes to build their collection, but they are still short of their goal, with only hours left. They are hoping that they will be able to give this Missouri artist the recognition she deserves, while keeping a portion of her collection in the state.
From their Kickstarter they ask: “Who will save this feminist midwestern artist from utter and senseless obscurity? Who will rescue her reputation--her paintings, sketches, and legacy?” Perhaps you, gentle reader.
Visit the Kickstarter at this link; you can view the entire Terpening collection here.
