Bidspirit auction | Lorena Phemister, Indiana (1920-2005), figural

Lorena Phemister, Indiana (1920-2005), figural group in costume, oil on masonite, 23 3/4”H x 29 3/4”W(sight), 26 1/2”H x 32 1/2”W(frame) - Lorena Phemister Indiana (1920-2005) figural group in costume oil on masonite Signed lower right and verso. Biography: Lorena Phemister was born 26 February 1920 in Indianapolis. She attended Arsenal Technical High School, graduating with honors in 1938. She subsequently attended the art school of the John Herron Art Institute from 1938 to 1943, and was awarded several scholarships. After receiving her BFA from Herron, she spent two years at the University of Iowa, obtaining an MFA in 1945. Phemister then taught art in Indiana at St. Francis College (1946–47) and Mishawaka High School (1948–50) in Indiana before returning to teach at Arsenal Technical High School in 1951 in Indianopolis. She spent the remainder of her teaching career there, retiring in 1984. Phemister was active as an artist from childhood through the 1950s, and participated in state and regional exhibitions such as the Hoosier Salon and the Indiana State Fair. Her paintings are modernist, reflecting the styles of Regionalist artists such as Thomas Hart Benton as well as that of Pablo Picasso's figurative works. After Phemister's father's death in 1956, she gave up painting outside of her teaching work. She kept most of her paintings until 2004, when her personal collection sold for over $25,000 at auction, well above previous estimates. Phemister died 16 August 2005 in Indianapolis. Sources: Collection Materials, including The Indianapolis Star, 22 November 2004 and Antiques and the Arts Weekly 10 December 2004. From Indiana History.Org, Accessed 2021 23 3/4”H x 29 3/4”W(sight), 26 1/2”H x 32 1/2”W(frame)