Hollis Sigler (American, 1948-2001)
Sigler was formally trained at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Yet, she purposefully separated herself from male-dominated movements of the time in favor of a faux-naïve style suggesting the work of a self-taught artist. Afterwards, her subjects focused on a woman’s world-view, autobiographical content, and doll-house type interiors as stand-ins for interior female portraits. First focused on her identity as a lesbian woman, after Sigler was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1985, her subject matter started reflecting what was happening with her health. In these works, brightly colored illustrations seem to be pleasant, given the artist’s folk-art style, but houses are ablaze, mirrors broken, angels ascend to heaven, and unpeopled scenes with clothing, furniture, and antique sculptures become surrogates for the artist and her struggle.
Public collections of Sigler’s include the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Baltimore Museum of Art; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta; the Honolulu Museum of Art; the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, DC; and the Seattle Art Museum.
