Joan Mitchell: An Interview

Joan Mitchell (1925-1992) was a "second generation" abstract expressionist painter and printmaker.  She was an essential member of the American Abstract expressionist movement, and one of the few female painters to gain critical and public acclaim in the era. Born in Chicago, Mitchell spent much of the 1950s in New York, living on St. Mark’s Place on the Lower East Side, and was deeply involved with the the New York School.  While other members of the School moved painting toward cool, formalist images, Mitchell persisted in maintaining the basis of her style in action painting, and achieved paintings of great emotional and intellectual intensity.  During the '60s, Mitchell moved to France, where she lived until her death in 1992.

Mitchell's larger-than-life personality is at the forefront in this interview with Lyn Blumenthal.  When asked if she returned to Chicago after her fellowship, Mitchell laughs.  "Oh no, I left Chicago with a man in the middle of the night in a station wagon."

A historical interview originally recorded in 1974 and re-edited in 2004 with support from the Lyn Blumenthal Memorial Fund.