Ida Kohlmeyer was a prominent American abstract artist whose vibrant and dynamic works left an indelible mark on the world of contemporary art. Known for her distinctive style that fused elements of Abstract Expressionism and Colour Field painting, Kohlmeyer developed a unique visual language that resonated with viewers.

At the time of her death in 1997 Ida Kohlmeyer was Louisiana’s most renowned artist. Her paintings and sculpture, characterized by exuberance and painterly freedom, are personal interpretations of a wide world of joyous colour, motion and vitality. She was able to express deep feeling directly on to her canvases. Ida Kohlmeyer developed a distinctive vocabulary of shapes and symbols which she first organized in grid format and later in loose flowing patterns. The artist translated that style into her acclaimed metal sculptures with their vertical arrangements of both geometric and organic shapes.

Photo credit: Portrait of Ida Kohlmeyer, courtesy of Arthur Roger Gallery