Stockbridge — Portraits of historically famous women, as well as some less well known, are all part of the exhibit “Original Sisters: Portraits of Tenacity and Courage” on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum. The exhibit opened earlier this month and will be on display until May 26. Toronto native Anita Kunz created these portraits during lockdown amidst the COVID pandemic.
During her career, Kunz has created covers for The New Yorker and Rolling Stone, as well as artwork for other magazines. The exhibit displays some of this magazine art that she has created.
Kunz told The Berkshire Edge that the COVID lockdown gave her time to start and pursue the “Original Sisters” project independently from any publisher. “I love being an illustrator, but I have always wanted to do bigger projects and deeper dives,” Kunz told The Edge. “For a while, I had a germ of an idea to create portraits of women. When the pandemic hit, I had tons of time, as we all did. I just started painting these portraits, and I had no idea where it was all going to go.”
Kunz said she painted one portrait a day, a total of 365 portraits, and learned about each woman before she painted them. “Each portrait was informed by the woman’s history, which is why they all look a little bit different,” Kunz said. “For some of the older historical portraits, I didn’t have any photographic references to them. So I had to sort of makeup what they might have looked like based on their clothing at that time during history. When I didn’t have any photo references, I researched to figure out what each person would have been wearing at the time and try to cobble together something as accurate as possible.”
Asked about what her selection process was for the portraits, Kunz said, “The selection process was as simple as: She’s awesome. Also, how come I never heard of her?”
Kunz pointed to Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin as an example of a lesser-known figure in history whom she chose to portray. “She identified what the universe is made of, and yet she is not a household name,” Kunz said. “I thought that’s pretty big, but it made no sense why I never even heard of her. It seems that there are women throughout history who have fallen through the cracks or have been forgotten. There are women who have all led interesting lives who should be celebrated.”
Kunz explained that there are many possible explanations why some of the subjects of her portraits fell through the cracks of history. “I think a lot of times [throughout history] men supported each other, and they didn’t know what to do with the prominent women,” Kunz said. “Or maybe the women were keeping to themselves. Who knows? There are probably many explanations.”
Subjects for the portraits include many recognizable women from throughout history, including Anne Frank, Florence Nightingale, Joan of Arc, writers including Dorothy Parker, musicians including Nina Simone and Grace Jones, activists including Sophie Scholl, chemist Alice Bell, and many others.
“I wanted to do so many portraits, and a lot of times I had to figure out a way to simplify some of the portraits,” Kunz said. “Because I wanted to concentrate on one woman at a time, I didn’t put arms on each portrait, and I didn’t create complicated backgrounds. By simplifying each portrait, I was able to get to the essence of the person I was painting.”
“‘Original Sisters’ is a love note to the world,” Norman Rockwell Museum Director and CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt said during a media tour of the exhibit. “The exhibit tells the often unknown histories and stories of courageous women who have shaped the arc of history to make the world a better place. I believe that museums and art are essential institutions in a democracy, inviting us to learn from our past, to envision a hopeful future, and invite us to be our best selves and create an inclusive world.”
When asked what she wanted visitors of the museum to get out of the exhibit, Kunz said, “I hope that people get the idea that they can triumph over adversity, any kind of adversity, whatever it is in their lives.”
“Original Sisters: Portraits of Tenacity and Courage” will be on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum until May 26. Visit the museum’s website for more information.
