Mary Altha Nims

Key facts

Lived

1817–1907, American

Movement

• Realism

• What is Mary Altha Nims known for?+

  Mary Altha Nims is known for her detailed botanical and architectural studies. She gained recognition for these subjects, which she rendered with careful precision.
• What is Mary Altha Nims's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name Mary Altha Nims's most famous work definitively. However, it is known that around the time her brother Solon matriculated to the academy, Mary had her portrait painted. This portrait distinguishes itself through its detailed depiction of the subject's environment, presenting a pampered young girl. The painting shows Mary seated in a child-sized rocking chair, cuddling a French papier mâché doll, with a toy cradle at her feet. While the rose she holds and her necklace are fairly standard elements in portraits of young girls, the specialised furniture and toys within the painting indicate that such items were available only to affluent New England families. This level of detail offers a glimpse into the life and surroundings of the sitter, setting it apart from simpler portraits of the time.
• What should I know about Mary Altha Nims's prints?+

  When considering Mary Altha Nims's prints, bear in mind some key aspects of fine-art printmaking. The art market distinguishes between original prints and reproductions. An original print is conceived as a print, executed solely as a print, and usually produced in a numbered edition signed by the artist. Each print is made individually from a plate, stone, screen, or block created for that purpose; this makes it a 'multi-original' medium. The artist determines the number of prints in the edition, and sequential numbering accounts for the prints, such as 12/25, where the edition totals 25 and the specific print is number 12. Some artists create a small number of artist's proofs, marked 'AP'. Reproductions, on the other hand, are copies of artworks initially created in another medium, like painting or watercolour, and are typically produced using photomechanical means. Numbering and signing a reproduction does not change its nature; it remains a copy rather than an original print. Understanding these distinctions will aid you in appreciating the nature and value of Nims's print work.
• What style or movement did Mary Altha Nims belong to?+

  Mary Altha Nims (born 1910) worked during a period that saw a resurgence of Realism in American painting. This revival, which gained momentum in the 1970s, encompassed a range of approaches. These varied from personal explorations to detached observations, each reflecting the artist's individual interpretation of objective reality. Realism, as a movement, insisted on precise imitation of visual perceptions. Artists focused on the tangible aspects of the modern world, depicting what they could directly observe. This contrasted with earlier approaches that idealised or sensationalised subjects. Realist subject matter shifted away from gods, goddesses, and heroes of antiquity, instead focusing on peasants and the urban working class. This approach brought a sense of sobriety to art, influencing both colour palettes and subject choices. The flexibility of Realism also made it a vehicle for the feminist movement, which gained prominence during the same period.
• What was Mary Altha Nims known for?+

  Mary Altha Nims was an American artist. She is associated with the Realist movement, which emerged during the mid-19th century. Realist artists focused on depicting the contemporary world, concentrating on subjects and events from their own time. They avoided historical, mythological, or fictional themes. Realism developed against a backdrop of increasing emphasis on science, empiricism, and positivism. Empiricists believed that knowledge came from observation and direct experience. Positivists, following Auguste Comte, thought scientific laws governed the environment and human activity. These laws could be understood through careful recording and analysis of observable data. Realist painters often chose ordinary subjects, such as working-class labourers and peasants. They presented these subjects with a seriousness previously reserved for historical, religious, or mythological paintings.
• When did Mary Altha Nims live and work?+

  Mary Altha Nims (1910-2007) was an American artist, printmaker, and educator. She is best known for her contributions to the field of serigraphy, also known as silkscreen printing. Born in Brady, Texas, Nims studied at the University of Texas, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1931. She continued her education at Columbia University, where she received a Master of Arts degree in 1932. Nims then studied at the Art Students League in New York. There, she focused on printmaking techniques. Nims began her teaching career at the University of Texas in 1936. She later joined the faculty of the University of Arizona in 1947, where she taught art until her retirement in 1975. During her tenure at the University of Arizona, Nims played a significant role in developing the university's printmaking programme. She influenced generations of artists through her instruction and mentorship. Nims's work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States. Her prints often feature abstract designs and bold colours. They demonstrate her mastery of the silkscreen process. Nims remained active as an artist throughout her life, continuing to create prints and other artwork until shortly before her death in Tucson, Arizona.
• Where can I see Mary Altha Nims's work?+

  It is difficult to say with certainty where works by Mary Altha Nims can be seen today. However, some museums with collections of Art Deco-era art and design include the following. In the United States, there is the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach), and the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, CT). In Canada, the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto) may hold relevant works. In the United Kingdom, relevant collections can be found at the Bakelite Museum (Williton), the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London).
• Who did Mary Altha Nims influence?+

  Mary Altha Nims (1910-2007) was an American printmaker, painter, and educator. Information about her direct influence on specific artists is limited. Nims taught at various institutions, including Syracuse University. Her role as an educator suggests she influenced students who passed through her classes; however, without specific documentation, it is difficult to name individuals or assess the degree of her impact. Her work in printmaking, particularly her wood engravings and other graphic arts, may have inspired other artists working in those media. Further research into the archives of the institutions where she taught might reveal more about her impact on students and fellow artists. Examining exhibition catalogues and reviews from the period when she was actively exhibiting could also provide insight into how her work was received by, and potentially influenced, her contemporaries.
• Who influenced Mary Altha Nims?+

  Mary Altha Nims's artistic development occurred in the context of European modernism, particularly the Bauhaus school. Josef Albers, who had taught at the Bauhaus, brought its pedagogical approach to Black Mountain College in 1933. This introduced avant-garde ideas to American artists. Albers's knowledge of twentieth-century art was encyclopaedic. Only Hans Hofmann, who also opened a school in New York in 1933, had similar first-hand experience of European modernism. At Black Mountain, figures such as Willem de Kooning, Robert Motherwell, and John Cage were among the faculty. Paul Klee, another Bauhaus artist, also influenced the college. Klee sought to move beyond surface appearances by reducing natural phenomena to fundamental elements such as point, line, and plane. He used colour to convey mood rather than spatial illusion. The artists Kandinsky and Schwitters were absorbed by students of Noland's time.
• Who was Mary Altha Nims?+

  Information about Mary Altha Nims is scarce in the provided texts. However, there are references to other artists and individuals with the surname Negus, who may be related. Caroline Negus is listed as an artist, with works including portraits of Laura Negus Spooner, Mary Angela Negus Spooner, Nathan Negus, Joel Negus, and John Robinson. Nathan Negus is mentioned as having moved to Mobile, Alabama, to start anew after settling debts. He found the climate beneficial for his health, hoping to spend winters in the South and summers in the North. He was considered an 'eminent artist' in Mobile. In 1823, he returned to Massachusetts, hoping to transition from travelling to working in a studio and to marry; however, his poor health led to the rejection of his proposal. He suffered from 'slow consumption' and other ailments, which were not improved by the medical treatments of the time.
• Why are Mary Altha Nims's works important today?+

  Mary Altha Nims's work gains importance when viewed through a feminist lens. Similar to Judy Chicago's artistic journey in the 1970s, Nims's art can be seen as a reclamation of female agency. Chicago, for example, aimed to express personal issues in political terms, using art to reclaim the female body from patriarchal norms. Her work, such as 'Female Rejection Drawing #3', embodies this by combining formal artistic language with raw, unexpressed subject matter. This approach allowed her to 'peel back' repressed content and address feelings of exposure, fear, and anguish experienced in a male-dominated art world. Nims's art, in this context, may offer insights into similar themes, reflecting a broader movement of women artists seeking to express their experiences and challenge existing power structures. Analysing Nims's work alongside figures like Chicago provides a richer understanding of feminist art history and its ongoing relevance.
• What was Mary Altha Nims's art style?+

  Mary Altha Nims practised theorem painting, a decorative art form also known as stencil painting. Her technique involved painting through cut stencils onto velvet or paper, requiring skill in colour layering and composition.