In the Tower: Anne Truitt

Anne Truitt (1921–2004), one of the most original and important sculptors of the postwar era, designed simple geometric constructions fabricated in wood that she would paint in multiple layers to create abstract compositions of subtle color in three dimensions. Seven sculptures, two paintings, and five drawings form the core of a small survey that will allow viewers to appreciate Truitt’s classic work from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. An accompanying brochure will feature excerpts of an interview with Truitt by James Meyer.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.

Whether or not you go, Daybook: The Journal of an Artist is a classic work for artists of all kinds, about reconciling the call of creative work with the demands of daily life, now with a new introduction by Audrey Niffenegger.

Renowned American artist Anne Truitt kept this illuminating and inspiring journal over a period of seven years, determined to come to terms with the forces that shaped her art and life. Her range of sensitivity—moral, intellectual, sensual, emotional, and spiritual— is remarkably broad. She recalls her childhood on the eastern shore of Maryland, her career change from psychology to art, and her path to a sculptural practice that would “set color free in three dimensions.” She reflects on the generous advice of other artists, watches her own daughters’ journey into motherhood, meditates on criticism and solitude, and struggles to find the way to express her vision. Resonant and true, encouraging and revelatory, Anne Truitt guides herself—and her readers—through a life in which domestic activities and the needs of children and friends are constantly juxtaposed against the world of color and abstract geometry to which she is drawn in her art.

Beautifully written and a rare window on the workings of a creative mind, Daybook showcases an extraordinary artist whose insights generously and succinctly illuminate the artistic process.

Daybook: The Journal of an Artist