Luise Clayborn Kaish (1925–2013) was a pioneer. A key figure in the New York art scene of the late 20th century, her multidisciplinary practice and process-oriented work spanned a range of mediums, materials, techniques, and themes. The strength and breadth of her work—monumental sculptures in bronze, oil paintings, watercolours, lithographs, collage—and the prestigious awards and fellowships she received set her apart as an early female leader in the visual arts. The publication Luise Kaish: An American Art Legacy celebrates her immense talent, highly individual point of view, far-reaching influence, pursuit of the sublime, and passion for life.

Dedicated to absorbing world cultures through travel and research, Kaish studied a broad range of subjects from architecture, design, and engineering to spiritualism, metaphysics, and the cosmos. Through her wide-ranging practice, she explored the spaces and connections between material, natural, and spiritual worlds. For her commissions for Jewish and Christian sanctuaries, she considered traditional representations and created new interpretations imbued with religious meaning and emotional power. A dedicated educator whose teachers included renowned sculptor Ivan Meštrović and muralist Diego Rivera, Kaish served as a Professor and Chair of Columbia University’s painting and sculpture division (1980-86). Among the first women to be awarded the American Academy of Rome Prize, she served as a Trustee (1975-1981). In 1993, she was appointed Professor Emerita of Columbia’s Faculty of Art. Embracing innovative teaching and learning methods and inviting artists to interact with students, she was equally committed to her work in the studio and classroom.

Kaish’s work is held in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Jewish Museum, and many other institutions, including the Syracuse University Art Museum and in private collections. Her work has been featured in numerous important exhibitions including a mid-career retrospective at the Jewish Museum in 1973 and three Whitney Biennials.

The contributors to Luise Kaish: An American Art Legacy—leading experts in the field—examine different aspects of Kaish’s extraordinary output and prolific career as she experimented with scale, materials, colour, texture, abstraction, and figuration in ground-breaking ways. Building on a lifetime dedication to her craft and whole-hearted embrace of an artistic life, this book presents a vibrant picture of a woman ahead of her time. This volume brings together the majority of her works including 103 plates and compelling photographs of the artist at work.