The Homes and Studios of Anne Truitt


When you google “Washington Color School artists”, six white men pop up on your screen: Howard Mehring, Thomas Downing, Gene Davis, Paul Reed, Morris Louis, and Kenneth Noland. While all are deserving of their prominence within the color field movement, the lack of female representation is striking, especially given the integral role women played in the Washington Color School and the broader D.C. art scene.

In 1957, Gallery director Alice Denney and artist Mary Orwen signed a lease for a building on Connecticut Avenue that operated as the Jefferson Place Gallery for the next seventeen years. Known as the city’s first modern art gallery, its mission was to support the local avant-garde community, showcasing both men and women from the Washington Color School.  At its inaugural opening, three of the eleven featured artists were women: Mary Orwen, Shelby Shackleford, and Helene McKinsey Herzbrun. Whether they exhibited at the gallery or not, many women played seminal roles in the D.C. art movement, including Alice MavrogordatoHilda Shapiro ThorpeAlma ThomasMary Pinchot MeyerValerie Hollister, and Anne Truitt.  

Anne Truitt (1921-2004), a steadfast Washingtonian artist, began keeping journals in 1974, which were later published as “Daybook” (1982), “Turn” (1986), “Prospect” (1996), and “Yield” (2022). In these writings, Truitt reflects on her experiences as an artist, mother, and breadwinner. Despite moving in the same social circles as well-known journalists and government officials, Truitt never sought an extravagant lifestyle and opted for solitude and privacy. While not everyone may immediately connect with Truitt’s futuristic sculptures, there is still something to be learned from her life philosophy and the thoughtful exploration of creativity, discipline, and solitude that shaped her artistic journey.

Moreover, considering the skyrocketing real estate prices in northwest Washington, D.C., it’s remarkable that Truitt consistently found affordable studio spaces throughout her career. By exploring the various homes and studios she occupied, this project examines how these environments influenced her artistic practices and career.

Anne Truitt and family in a photograph by Mariana Cook (American, born 1955). Selenium toned gelatin silver print, 20 × 16 inches. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Accession No. 2009.15.6. Copyright: © Mariana Cook.

Sophia Molina

Sophia Molina is a third-year student at Wesleyan University, where she is double majoring in history and art studio. From the Washington, D.C. area, Sophia’s interest in historic preservation was sparked through conducting archival research at her university and volunteering at the Smithsonian archives. This summer, Sophia will be researching women artists of the Washington Color School, with a particular focus on Anne Truitt and her studios across Washington, D.C. Her project aims to explore Truitt’s role within the movement and document the significance of her workspaces in the context of Washingtonian modern art history.