Minna Citron

Minna Citron was an American artist whose career spanned much of the 20th century, evolving from urban realism to abstraction. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she began her formal art education in the 1920s at the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences and the New York School of Applied Design for Women, while raising two children in Brooklyn. In 1928, she enrolled at the Art Students League of New York, where she studied with influential artists such as John Sloan and Kenneth Hayes Miller. Early in her career, Citron gained attention for her satirical and socially conscious prints addressing gender roles, particularly through her 1935 solo exhibition “Feminanities.” During the New Deal, she contributed to the Federal Art Project, completing post office murals in Tennessee and teaching at institutions including the Brooklyn Museum School and Pratt Institute.

In the 1940s, Citron embraced abstraction and became associated with Atelier 17, the influential printmaking workshop in New York. There, she explored experimental techniques and embraced psychological and surrealist influences, incorporating spontaneity and chance into her process. Throughout her life, she remained deeply engaged with contemporary movements and continued to exhibit and teach into her later years. A strong supporter of women's rights, she aligned with feminist ideals, especially in the 1970s, though she did not formally participate in activist groups. Citron’s work is held in numerous public collections, including the Georgia Museum of Art and the Ulrich Museum of Art. She was honored in 1985 with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Caucus for Art and continued creating art well into her nineties before her death in New York City in 1991.