Paulina Peavy

The first publication on the dynamic occult abstractions and masks of a long-lost American modernist

This is the first monograph dedicated to American artist Paulina Peavy (1901-99), whose astonishing artworks were stashed away in the homes of her grandchildren for decades before being rediscovered only 10 years ago. Her paintings, drawings and masks evoke her fascination with spirituality and the occult, drawing from many of the same textual sources that inspired Hilma af Klint. Years of research by art historian and author Laura Whitcomb have revealed Peavy's accomplished career: exhibiting at prestigious venues such as Stendahl Gallery in Los Angeles and New York's Delphic Studios, where Agnes Pelton was also represented. Since its rediscovery, her work has received critical acclaim and has been acquired by prominent collectors, artists and museums. This inaugural publication of Peavy's work includes a definitive history of her artistic development as well as a catalog of her work, including her paintings shown at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition.