Irene Pijoan
Born(1953-11-11)November 11, 1953
Lausanne, Switzerland
DiedAugust 18, 2004(2004-08-18) (aged 50)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Other namesIrène Pijoan
Occupation(s)Painter, sculptor, educator
Years active1976–2004
SpouseCraig Nagasawa
Children1
Parents
  • Joseph Pijoan (father)
  • Geneviève Bugnion (mother)

Irene Pijoan (1953 – 2004) was a Swiss-born American painter, sculptor, and educator.[1] She was active in the San Francisco Bay Area and taught at the San Francisco Art Institute for more than 20 years.[2][3]

Early life and education

Irene Pijoan was born on November 11, 1953, in Lausanne, Switzerland to parents Geneviève Bugnion and Joseph Pijoan [es]. Her mother was Swiss, her father was a Spanish architect, art historian, philosopher, and poet in the Catalan language.[4][1]

Pijoan received her bachelor of arts degree in 1978, followed by her fine arts master's of fine art degree in 1980 from University of California, Davis.[5][3] She also took classes at California State University, Sacramento.[6] In 1979, Pijoan was awarded a scholarship to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.[5][7] In 1981–1982, she was awarded the Roswell Artist-in-Residence.[5]

Career

One of her early solo exhibitions was in 1977 at Off-Brand Gallery (formerly Acme) in the former North Sacramento City Hall.[6] Starting in 1983, she began teaching at San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) where she remained until her death in 2004.[3] She was a teacher of artist Jason Rhoades.[8]

Her art work was created in a wide range of styles and materials.[9] In the beginning of her career she was working with abstract Funk art sculptures,[6] followed by with figurative and portrait pieces in multidimensional encaustic, and over time her work became more abstracted.[3] Pijoan was known for her cut paper and cut metal art.

She created public art in the form of large scale aluminum cut-out screens on display at Highland Hospital in Oakland; Santa Clara Public Library; Victoria Manalo Draves Park in SOMA, San Francisco; and at the Harborview Medical Building in Seattle.[3][10]

Death and legacy

Starting in 1999, Pijoan battled breast cancer.[3] She died on August 18, 2004, in Berkeley, California.[3] Pijoan was married to artist Craig Nagasawa, and together they had one daughter.[3]

Her work is in museum collections including at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA),[11] and San José Museum of Art.[12]

Publications

References

  1. ^ a b Johnstone, Mark; Holzman, Leslie Aboud; Aboud, Leslie (November 2002). Epicenter: San Francisco Bay Area Art Now. Chronicle Books. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-8118-3541-1.
  2. ^ Whittaker, Richard (2004). "Conversations.org: Lucidity: A Conversation with Irene Pijoan". Conversations.org. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Camps, Mark (2004-09-12). "Irène Pijoan -- influential painter, professor at S.F. Art Institute". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  4. ^ Alzuria, Gonzalo Pasamar; Martín, Ignacio Peiró (2002-05-24). Diccionario Akal de Historiadores españoles contemporáneos (in Spanish). Ediciones AKAL. p. 495. ISBN 978-84-460-1489-8.
  5. ^ a b c "Irene Pijoan". The RAiR Foundation. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  6. ^ a b c Johnson, Charles (December 18, 1977). "A Continuing Non-Tradition". Newspapers.com. The Sacramento Bee. p. 133. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
  7. ^ Skowhegan: A Ten-year Retrospective, 1975-1985, Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, New York & Skowhegan, Maine. Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture. 1986. p. 46.
  8. ^ "Pijoan, Irene (American painter and sculptor, born 1953)". Union List of Artist Names, The J. Paul Getty Trust.
  9. ^ Porges, Maria (December 2001). "Irene Pijoan, Bedford Gallery". Artforum.com. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  10. ^ "Irene Pijoan". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. September 11, 2011. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  11. ^ "Night in Cairo". SFMOMA. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
  12. ^ "Irene Pijoan". San José Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
Categories