b. 1907 d. 1984
Site Affiliation: Arts Center at Duck Creek
John Little (1907-1984) was born in Alabama and as a teenager attended the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy. After a successful career as a textile designer, in 1937 he began attending the Hans Hofmann School in both New York City and Provincetown and transitioned from commercial art to working as an abstract painter. From 1957-60, with fellow artists Alfonso Ossorio and Elizabeth Parker, Little ran the Signa Gallery, an important East Hampton outpost for the growing New York art scene and showcase for international abstraction. Guild Hall, the town’s cultural center, presented a retrospective exhibition of his work in 1982, two years before his death.
Primary Medium: Painting
Primary Stylistic Term: Abstract
HAHS Affiliations: In 1951, Little moved full time to Duck Creek Farm in East Hampton, near his close friends Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, and became an active member of the local art community.
Fun Fact: Inside his barn studio, Little converted a loft area as guest quarters for visiting artist friends. Among those who stayed there were Franz Kline and Isamu Noguchi.