St. Paul

Sister Mary Corita Kent (1918 – 1986, American) “St. Paul” (1958) Hand signed and titled color serigraph/screen print on an uneven sheet of paper measuring approximately 23.25 x 16.5 inches. This work is from the edition of unknown size. (Corita did not want any of her prints to be more valuable than the others. She did not number them and sometimes she did not even record the full size of the edition.) CONDITION: Some toning and discoloration, creases and crinkles resulting in hairline cracks in ink, tiny edge tears, otherwise in good condition. The work of art has been matted and placed in a black wood frame measuring 25.25 x 19.25 inches that conceals the described imperfections. The work of art is titled “St. Paul” in the lower left, and signed, “Sister Mary Corita IHM” in the lower right margin, both handwritten in pencil. Corita’s earliest works were largely iconographic; known as “neo-gothic” they borrowed phrases and depicted images from the Bible.

An example of this screen print is in the Collection UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, Hammer Museum. Catalog reference is CAC 58-7 (CAC - Corita Art Center, a project of the Immaculate Heart Community, that preserves and promotes Corita Kent's art, teaching, and passion for social justice.

Bio from Corita.org: Corita Kent (1918–1986) was an artist, educator, and advocate for social justice. At age 18 she entered the religious order Immaculate Heart of Mary, eventually teaching in and then heading up the art department at Immaculate Heart College. Her work evolved from figurative and religious to incorporating advertising images and slogans, popular song lyrics, biblical verses, and literature. Throughout the ‘60s, her work became increasingly political, urging viewers to consider poverty, racism, and injustice. In 1968 she left the order and moved to Boston. After 1970, her work evolved into a sparser, introspective style, influenced by living in a new environment, a secular life, and her battles with cancer. She remained active in social causes until her death in 1986. At the time of her death, she had created almost 800 serigraph editions, thousands of watercolors, and innumerable public and private commissions.