The Whole World is a Mystery

Who was Gertrude Abercrombie?

Gertrude Abercrombie (born February 17, 1909, Austin, Texas – died July 3, 1977, Chicago, Illinois) was an American artist and a leading figure of Chicago’s Hyde Park arts scene in the mid-20th century, acclaimed for her complex self-portraits and enigmatic paintings of stark interiors and illusory landscapes.

Inspired by the European movement of Surrealism, she and her fellow Midwestern Surrealists adopted the movement according to their own signature styles. Abercrombie’s approach was grounded in both realism and dreams. It was also deeply personal; many of her paintings contain objects the artist identified with herself.

“Surrealism is meant for me,” she remarked, “because I am a pretty realistic person but don’t like all I see. So I dream that it is changed. Then I change it to the way I want it. Only mystery and fantasy have been added. All foolishness has been taken out. It becomes my own dream.”