Astrid Fitzgerald

About

Born in Wil, SG Switzerland. Emigrated to the United States in 1961. Educated in Switzerland, Astrid Fitzgerald has been living and working in the United States since 1961. Her work has been shown in New York, Europe and Asia in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and is represented in major corporate, museum and private collections.
Recent shows include Wired Gallery, High Falls, NY Astrid Fitzgerald - A Retrospective; The Gallery at R&F, Kingston, NY, 2011, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY, 2010, Unison Art Gallery, New Paltz, NY, 2010, Pearl Arts Gallery, Stone Ridge, NY, 2008, LoRiver Gallery, Beacon, NY in 2005, Galerie Raubach, St. Gallen, Switzerland in 2004, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY in 2003, and Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery at SUNY Stone Ridge, NY in 2000. Fitzgeralds installation Amish Quilts was chosen by the Jury of the Artcanal in Le Landeron, Switzerland to represent the United States during expo02.

When years ago I began making art I was at the same time searching for answers to fundamental questions about the nature of being. Later, I began to see that my art and what turned out to be basic philosophical questions came together as I started to explore the laws of geometric forms. Two fragments by Heraclitus, the early Greek thinker, are vital to my work. These are: "Nature Loves to hide," and "A hidden connection is stronger than an apparent one."
My work is an exploration of the dynamic laws of nature expressed in geometric principles. The wonder is that what may seem fixed and static laws are instead dynamic and expressive of great potential and creativity. One principle in particular, the so-called Golden Mean Proportion, is perhaps the most dynamic of all, and I have worked with its potential for years. Within it’s rigor I activate and alter the surface of canvases and constructions freely, creating contrasts of light and dark, depth and surface, energy and stillness, using saturated color inspired by trips to the ancient sites of Greece and Egypt.
Nature indeed loves to hide her laws and it has taken time and patience to tease out her secrets. I have been aided in this process by earlier seekers devoted to the wonder of philosophical geometry, among them Mondrian, Kupka, Kandinsky, Rothko and the great artists of the Italian Renaissance.
My aim remains constant: to make art and objects with a presence that can be appreciated on both its physical aspect and its intrinsic content. The statement by Heraclitus that a hidden connection is stronger than an apparent one also suggests that anyone looking at these works may find that time and patience in front of a given piece might be rewarding. I hope it is true. I believe it is.

EXCERPTS FROM ESSAYS

“Fitzgerald brings to this exhibition transformations of Western medieval patterns and of the Tantric patterns of Asia. But she is equally immersed in the traditions of Cubist and Constructivist design, to which she gives new life.” – Roger Lipsey, Ph.D.
“Timeless, and true to themselves, very much in the same way these fabled Greek Islands are, so are Fitzgerald’s creations. Her oeuvre enables us to view and appreciate fresh expressions of some ancient thoughts.” – Ziba de Weck, Ph.D., Director and Curator, Parasol Foundation for Contemporary Art, London
“Perhaps, what by some is seen as unrelated cerebral, conceptual abstraction is really at home and rooted in the natural world – the falling autumn seeds curving, whirling in the wind, rustling off our orbed planet. Fitzgerald helps return us to the quiet, the balance, the harmony within all.” – Adrian Frost, Art Critic … Read More

Location: New York, NY, United States
Website: http://www.astridFitzgerald.com

Education

Pratt Graphics Arts Center, New York, 1972-73Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, 1968Art Students League, New York, 1962-63Polytechnic School, London, England, 1958-59College St. Agnes, Fribourg, Switzerland, 1953-1955

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Wired Gallery, High Falls, NY - Astrid Fitzgerald - A Retrospective; Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY, 2010, Unison Art Gallery, New Paltz, NY 1010, 2008 Pearl Arts Gallery, Stone Ridge, NY 2005-2006Wuersch & Gering, New York City, Works by Astrid Fitzgerald2005Lo-River Gallery, Beacon, New York, Encaustics and Constructions2002Galerie Raubach, St. Gallen, Switzerland, Bilder & Objekte2001Galerie Raubach, St. Gallen, Switzerland, New Work on Paper 2000Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery, SUNY Stone Ridge, N.Y, Cosmic Measures1996Murakami Gallery, New York City, Constructions and Works on Paper1996Kunstgalerie Hyposwiss, Zurich, Switzerland, Bilder & Objekte1993Galerie Neue Kunst, Wil, SG, Switzerland, Arbeiten auf Holz und Papier1986Pietrasanta Fine Arts, New York City, PaintingsSELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2005 CAF.N Contemporary Art Festival, Nebula, Japan - International Invitational 2004Galerie Raubach, St. Gallen, Switzerland2000 The Sharjah Arts Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates - Intl. Exhibition 1995 Parsons School of Design, New York, Harmony By Design1994Washington Design Center, Washington, D.C., Harmony By Design1995Kendall College of Art & Design, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Harmony By Design1990Credit Suisse, New York City, Between Two Worlds1986The Swiss Institute, New York City, Structure & Shadow1985Nohra Haime Gallery, New York City, PastelsSELECTED JURIED EXHIBITIONS AND COMPETITIONS 2007 SUNY Ulster, Stone Ridge, NY - Beyond Self: Contemporary Explorations in Art & Sprit 2003Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY - Encaustic Works '032002Artcanal Exhibition at expo 02, Le Landeron, Switzerland1996The College of Santa Fe Arts Gallery, Santa Fe, N.M., Maximum Drawings1980New York University, New York City, 4th Annual Small Works Competition1979Parsons Exhibition Center, New York City, 57th SAGA National Print ExhibitionAWARDS New York University, New York, Jurors Award, 4th Annual Small Works Competition, 1980 National Association of Women Artists, Ntl. Academy Galleries, New York City, The Charles Levitt Award, 197819th Annual N.S.P.C.A., National Arts Club, N.Y., The Michael M. Engel Memorial Award, 1973The New Yorker Theater Mural Competition, New York City, 2nd Prize & Honorable Mention, 1971 SELECTED PUBLIC AND CORPORATE COLLECTIONS Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, Conn.; Marymount College, Tarrytown, N.Y.; Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass., Town Hall Collection, Wil, Switzerland; Courthouse Collection, Wattwil, Switzerland; World Financial Center, American Express, New York City; N.Y. Stock Exchange, Inc., New York City; Rockefeller Center Collection, New York, N.Y.; Amerada Hess Corporation, New York City; Bank of America, New York City; Chase Manhattan Collection; Chemical Bank, New York City; City Bank, New York; Cooper Carry Architects, Atlanta; Credit Suisse, New York; DiGiacomo Architects, New York City; G. Tsai & Co., New York City; Hyposwiss, Zurich, Switzerland; I.M.Pei & Partners, New York City; I.B.M. Collections, New York, Atlanta, Boca Raton, Valhalla, Charlotte; Loews Hotel, Monaco; Nikko Hotel, Beverly Hills, Ca.; PES Architects & Engineers, Nagoya, Japan; Siegel & Gale, Inc., New York City; UBS Securities, New York City; Union Bank of Switzerland, New York City; Texaco Collection; Washington Hotel, Osaka, Japan; Yamaha Marine Building, Japan; Zale Corporation, Dallas, Texas; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Maegher & Flom, New York City; Union Carbide, New York City. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY Gallery Notes, LoRiver Arts, 2005 Astrid Fitzgerald & Kotani: The Mountain Way and the River Way by Roger Lipsy, Ph.D Pulse, April 2005 - About the Artist Astrid Fitzgerald by John Nelson ArtCanal Catalogue, 2002, International Sculpture Exhibition along the Zihlkanal. UBS Information, 1996, Exhibition review Eine Kuenstlerin von Kraft und Harmonie, by R. Mueller.Laudatio by Ziba De Weck, Ph.D., January 1996, Kunstgalerie Hyposwiss, Zurich, Switzerland.Exhibition Review, 2/14/1996, by Annemarie Stuessi.Wiler Zeitung, Article Eine Wilerin macht Karriere in New York , by Marlene Tanner.Exhibition Catalog, presented by Credit Suisse, 1990, Between Two Worlds.Kuenstlerverzeichnis der Schweiz, 1980-1990, Swiss Institute for Art Research, Zurich, Switzerland.Exhibition Review, 1985, The Art of Astrid Fitzgerald - New Images, Old Faith, Roger Lipsey, PhD Swiss Artists in New York, 1985 by Richard Pichler.Wiler Zeitung, 2/26/1981, Exhibition review, Galerie Steinfels, Zurich, SwitzerlandNew York Times, 5/21/78, Aldrich Museum Show: An Eye-Opener by Millie Siegel.Catalogue, 1978, Contemporary Reflections, Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield, Conn. Who's Who in the 21st Century - First Edition, Cambridge, England Who's Who in American Art - Jacques Cattell Press, since 1986 PUBLICATIONS Illustrations and Photographs by Astrid Fitzgerald for the Travelers Key to Ancient Greece, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, 1989. Article by Astrid Fitzgerald, Harmony by Design, N.Y.: Parabola Magazine, 1991.An Artists Book of Inspiration - A Collection of Thoughts on Art, Artists, and Creativity by Astrid Fitzgerald, Hudson, N.Y.: Lindisfarme Press, 1996. Being Consciousness Bliss - A Seekers Guide by Astrid Fitzgerald. Great Barrington, MA: Lindisfarne Books, 2002. Winter Break: A Luminous Journey into Wisdom and Love by Astrid Fitzgerald. New York, NY: A.R.K. BOOKS, 2008. … Read More