Large Abstract Painting in Reds/Oranges by Marjorie Schlossman, 61” X 48.75”

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MARJORIE SCHLOSSMAN
(American, b. 1944) formerly Marjorie Ludwig. An acrylic on canvas. Titled”Red Super Structure”, as part of her “Red … Read more MARJORIE SCHLOSSMAN
(American, b. 1944) formerly Marjorie Ludwig. An acrylic on canvas. Titled”Red Super Structure”, as part of her “Red Abstract Series”. Signed in the lower right and dated (9-79).

Marjorie Schlossman is an American abstract painter who lives and works in Fargo, North Dakota. Over a long and remarkably prolific career, her work has been exhibited in museums, galleries, public spaces and private collections, from the San Francisco Bay Area to the London Biennale.

Although painting has remained at the center of her creative life, Schlossman’s artistic interests extend far beyond the canvas. Her work has frequently crossed disciplines, bringing together painting with poetry, music, architecture, sculpture and film. A violinist herself, music has been a particularly important influence throughout her life and work.

Schlossman is also a wife, the mother of seven children and grandmother of 19. Despite a career encompassing multiple studios, exhibitions, teaching and numerous collaborative projects, family has remained an important part of her life.

Schlossman was the subject of what was, at the time, the largest exhibition of paintings by a single artist ever presented at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota. Beginning in 2022, she also taught an abstract painting class at the museum every Wednesday while serving as an active member of the museum’s board.

The North Dakota Museum of Art presented Schlossman in a solo exhibition accompanied by a full-color catalogue.

In 2001, Schlossman purchased and remodeled a freestanding building in downtown Fargo and established the Robert Street Chapel. Over the years, she created more than 15 monumental paintings for the Chapel, each approximately 55 feet in length and painted on a continuous canvas. The works were presented to the public in changing exhibitions. The Robert Street Chapel has continued to serve as a home for Schlossman’s art and as a setting in which painting, architecture, music and other artistic disciplines come together.

Her uncle, distinguished American composer Gunther Schuller, composed a piano trio for Schlossman that was premiered at the Robert Street Chapel.

In another ambitious interdisciplinary project, Schlossman commissioned seven architects from seven different architectural firms to design individual small chapels, or “chaplets.” Each structure was intended to inspire a painting by Schlossman that would ultimately be exhibited within it. The chaplets premiered in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with a solo string instrumentalist performing in each during the opening. They subsequently traveled throughout the region, appearing on the North Dakota State Capitol grounds in Bismarck, in Jamestown, at West Acres Shopping Center and in Fargo parks.

Los Angeles filmmaker Mary Trunk documented the project from its inception through completion in the film Plain Art. Trunk later collaborated with Schlossman and other artists and musicians on Chroma, another interdisciplinary film project incorporating music and visual art. Schlossman also performed as a violinist in portions of the film.

For another project, Morph II, Schlossman and members of her painting class transformed mannequin forms through painting. The installation, also documented by Mary Trunk, was exhibited at West Acres Shopping Center.

Schlossman has collaborated with her son, Herb Ludwig Jr., on sculptures both large and small, including works that have appeared atop the Robert Street Chapel.

Her work has extended into publishing as well. Schlossman co-authored three books combining her visual art with poetry, bringing together the written word and abstract imagery.

Music continues to play an important role in Schlossman’s work. For Franz Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise, performed by tenor and piano at the Plains Art Museum, the musicians were surrounded by 24 of Schlossman’s large-scale abstract acrylic paintings. She is now creating a second body of work in response to Schubert. In May 2027, approximately 20 new large canvases are planned for presentation in conjunction with Die schöne Müllerin in a second song-cycle production by the Fargo-Moorhead Opera.

Schlossman has also had a solo exhibition at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where she earned a Master of Liberal Arts degree.

Earlier in her artistic development, Schlossman studied for eight years with Richard Bowman at the Palo Alto Art Club, where she received Best of Show in an abstract painting exhibition. During her years in California, her work was also exhibited at Stanford Hospital and, together with the work of another painter, at the home of the president of Stanford University.

Now in her eighties, Schlossman continues to paint and teach full time. Central to her approach to abstraction is her belief that authentic artistic expression emerges from the subconscious—a philosophy that has informed her work throughout much of her career.

Looking beyond her own lifetime, Schlossman has established the Schlossman Family Foundation with the intention of preserving her artistic legacy and ensuring that her work remains available for future generations to experience, study and enjoy. See less