OJAC Collection - Cornelis Ruhtenberg

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Cornelis Ruhtenberg
American, born Latvia
American, born Latvia, (1923–2008)
With roots in northern Europe, training in Germany, early artistic success in New York, and sojourns in Pennsylvania and Italy, the late Cornelis Ruhtenberg was unquestionably one of the Midwest's most creative and distinguished artists. Her portraits, still-life studies, and figure compositions follow a realist tradition centuries old, yet evolve beyond patterns to speak directly to contemporary viewers. These expressions offer a distinctive and uncommon harmony, elegance, and imagination. That her work holds broad appeal in subject matter and excellence of execution is evident by the long list of permanent collections and major museums owning it. From the Berlin Museum in Germany, to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., to the Palm Springs Art Center, to the Springfield Museum of Art in Missouri, the Des Moines Art Center, Oklahoma City Museum, Denver Art Museum and to the Sheldon Memorial Gallery in Lincoln, Nebraska, Ruhtenberg's paintings fascinate viewers of various ages and cultural backgrounds. Critic Diane Cochrane in American Artist compared Ruhtenberg's paintings to music and to Chinese painting. Nick Baldwin, late critic for the Register & Tribune, noted Ruhtenberg's search for inner truth. Years later, Register reviewer Eliot Nusbaum noted her quest for "Beauty and Power." Working to express images that reveal internal essences and to "create something where nothing existed before," Ruhtenberg finds, fosters, and celebrates beauty. And one might add, not only beauty but also the power of order and goodness.

Source: Olson-Larson