THE MEDIA

Child Prodigy Broke Barriers for Women in the Art World

Hyacinthe Kuller Baron was born with a gift.

At age 9 she was called an art prodigy and enrolled in classes for adults at New York’s prestigious Art Students League school on West 57th Street.

She went on to paint commissioned portraits for a who’s who of Hollywood celebrities — Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Rock Hudson, Martha Raye — and her artwork joined the collections of Huntington Hartford, “Hawaii Five-O” star Jack Lord, Rod McKuen, Malcolm Forbes and others.

While living in Greenwich Village in the 1950s, she associated with other then-struggling artists who grew to become household names — Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning and others.

In 1974, she turned heads when she placed a nude model in her Manhattan gallery window sitting (backward) next to the painting for which the naked women had modeled.

Today, the artist, who often used the mononym Hyacinthe, lives in Pacific Beach in a one-bedroom apartment filled with her art and memorabilia. Click to continue reading entire article

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CRITICAL ACCLAIM

May 26, 1993 • Nancy Brach • The Desert Post: Desert Palette, The Entertainer

"Hyacinthe - the word speaks volumes - huge colorful flowers Hyacinthe is also the real name of the artists. This woman is the epitome of all that is female-intuitive, vivacious, vibrantly alive. Her art is completely her ideal of the female aspect. A "child prodigy" ... Marcel Duchamp took her as his protege...encouraged to be the best that she could be without regard to her sex. She developed into her true self as artist and person during the 1960's. She produced series of lithographs that are now in the Smithsonian."

January 1993 • Palm Springs Life Magazine

"Among all of us, Master Artist Hyacinthe has succeeded! See the power! Feel the passion!"

April 1992 • Art Business News: Legends of Indians Inspire Trilogy

"...a suite of three images inspired by Indian legends, seeks to reveal the dual nature of humankind. First editions by Hyacinthe Kuller Baron in over 22 years. From original oil and desert sand on canvas."

January 12, 1992 • Joe Myer, Art Expert • The Desert Sun

"Gallery shares its visions ... Hyacinthe works in oil and acrylic on canvas. her palette is a limited one but her vision is large. With a few black and brown lines, she sculpts on canvas her personal view of modern women. ...there is that feeling that Hyacinthe's paintings are inspired by a spiritual energy. ...Marcel Duchamp said of her work; "with a few strokes, (she is) able to bring to life and emotion to her drawings."

January 1992 • Norm Greer Chalupa • Sand to Sea Magazine

"Hyacinthe's creative and innovative painting and sculpture have been exhibited world wide and are included in many major private, public, and estate collections (in addition to many local residents). The first woman to have a gallery on New York's madison Avenue...a protege of Marcel Duchamp and sculptor Chaim Gross, her successful one-woman show in Santa Monica was a sellout."

December 1990 • Los Angeles Reader: Gallery Views

"Important exhibition of innovative sculpture by Hyacinthe Kuller Baron at the Christopher Stevens Gallery in Santa Monica: The Female Aspect - Part II. The Sculptures are of and about the earth. Hyacinthe plays with the negative and positive form and energy. May be the most important sculptor working the world today."

January 1989 • David Battenberg, Art Critic • The Coastline Newspaper

"Baron's work includes portraiture, serigraphs, hand painted kimonos...it is to sculpture that she returned at this point in her dynamic life. In taking ancient earth clay and modern epoxies, then mixing them with her inspiration - she has founded an unprecedented medium of historic import."

1985 • Arrington • Tahoe Daily Tribune: Artistic Talents Lead to Success
1984 • John Grissim • Point Reyes Light: West Country Diary
1984 • San Francisco Chronicle
1984 • Bari Brenner • Oakland Tribune: Hand-painted upholstery the latest in furnishings
1984 • Sacramento Bee
1982 • Linda Helser • Arizona Republic: Artist Designer's Talent Develops with Time
1982 • Elite Magazine: Honors Awarded Women
1982 • Dan Medina • Trends Magazine: Scottsdale's Beautiful People - Hyacinthe at Home
1982 • Arizona Republic: Hand-painted silks grab the limelight
1981 • Anne Marie Schrio • New York Times
1981 • Joyce Wells • Women' Wear Daily
1981 • Los Angeles Times
1981 • Jim Byrne • London Daily Times
1981 • Ram Report: Best of Collections - Hyacinthe
1981 • Eugenia Sheppard • New York Post: Around Town
1981 • Metro • Spring Fashion Section: A new wrinkle In fashion: Hand-painted clothing has arrived
1980 • Cooperstown News
1980 • King Feature Syndicate (National Coverage): First Claim to Fame is Painting
1980 • King Feature Syndicate (National Coverage): Designer's Showcase: They're Handpainted
1980 • Anne-Marie Schiro • The New York Times • Style: They're Mass-Producing Hand-Painted Clothes

"Hand-painted clothes may be to the 80's what tie-dyed fashions were to the 60s."

1980 • Bridgeport Connect Post
1980 (October 12) • Pittsburg Press: Artist Cultivates Fashionable Business
1976 • Ruth Preston • New York Post: The Wearing of the Painting
1975 • Cosmopolitan Magazine
1975 • Sunday News: Making an art gallery out of your closet ... by painting clothes
1975 • Park Avenue Social Review: Hyacinthe and Margaret Mead at UNICEF Benefit at Kneeler Gallery
1971 • Palm Beach Review
1969 • Decor Magazine: Hyacinthe, lithographs
1968 • Malcom Preston, Art Critic • Newsday: Critical Review
1954 • Village Voice: Exhibition at Hinkley & Brohl Gallery

Southwest Art and Art News Magazines carried images of 3 editions of Serigraphs: Trilogy - White Bear's Daughter, Symbiosis, and Visions

Pittsburg Press, October 12, 1980 - Artist Cultivates Fashionable Business

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