Virginia Cuthbert (1908-2001)

Virginia Cuthbert Elliott, who painted under her maiden name, moved from Pittsburgh to Buffalo with her husband Philip C. Elliott to teach and direct the Albright Art School. Her artwork progressed from being stylistically aligned with the Ash Can School to Magic Realism. February Animal Sale is a perfect complement to the summer scene, Schellhammer Family Reunion (1938), as both reflect Cuthbert’s Pennsylvania roots and American Scene subjects.

Cuthbert’s art received widespread attention in exhibitions and in national publications, such as Fortune Magazine and ARTnews. In 1954, she was honored by the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. In 1956, John Clancy invited her to join the ranks of the Frank Rehn Galleries, one of the most significant American art galleries in New York, which represented Charles Burchfield, Edward Hopper, and Reginald Marsh. She was a member of the New York Society of Women Artists, as well as the progressive Patteran Society. The Nina Freudenheim Gallery presented an important retrospective of her work in 1990, and in 1995, the Arts Council in Buffalo and Erie County and the Greater Buffalo Partnership honored her with an Individual Professional Artists Award.—NW