Alice Trumbull Mason 1904-1971

Alice Trumbull Mason was a trailblazing figure in American abstraction and a founding member of the American Abstract Artists group. Her mature style is distinguished by its precise architectonic structures, rhythmic patterning, and keen sensitivity to line and color. Working primarily in oil on canvas and panel, she constructed compositions that balance restraint with lyricism—often interlocking angular forms or layering fine, calligraphic marks to create a sense of internal movement through their delicate tension. Her use of limited palettes and subtle tonal variation underscores her interest in harmony and visual tension, while the underlying geometry of her works reveals an intuitive rigor aligned with Constructivism and Cubism. Her assurance in her singular artistic vision is evident when considering the prevalence of Abstract Expressionism as the defining movement of Mason’s generation, a movement from which her careful geometric compositions diverge. A dedicated printmaker as well, she worked at the influential Atelier 17 in New York, expanding her formal vocabulary through graphic media.