Jane Wilson (Born 1924) was born in Seymour, IA. What she’s aiming for are moments of total physical experience of the landscape - moments of strong sensation, when weather just reaches out and sucks you in. When you think about it, it’s really very mysterious. When she left Iowa in 1949, she started on a journey that would be the beginning of her 20-year career as an artist (she died in 2015). Born on a farm belonging to her family, the farm-life had a strong influence on her art. She was a graduate of the University of Iowa, and after graduation, she spent 2 years teaching art history. Jane and her husband, Gruen John, moved to New York City and settled in Greenwich Village where they immersed themselves in the downtown art scene. In 1952 Jane was approached to be a co-founder of the Hansa Gallery, and she obliged.
This was an artists’ cooperative that they first established on East 12th Street and later they moved it to Central Park South. Some of the original members included Richard Stankiewicz, Jan Müller, Allan Kaprow, Wolf Kahn, and Felix Pasilis. Jane had three solo shows at Hansa in total. She also participated in significant group shows, such as one at Tanager Gallery. In the mid-1950s, Jane was working in an abstract expressionist mode. She created art that resonated with the energy of the moment. She later shifted to expressionist landscapes. During that time, she met many prominent artists, among them Fairfield Porter, who was more established and older, so she learned a lot from him.
