Betty Woodman and George Woodman

Tireless advocate and patron saint of art and social justice. Devoted friend and supporter to so many artists, curators, and institutions, including Betty Woodman and George Woodman and many of our Board members. Equity-focused creator of Studio in a School and the Studio Institute, whose summer interns we've been fortunate to host for many years.

Matisse’s influence on the Woodman family is evident not only in the joie de vivre and cut-out forms of Betty Woodman’s ceramic sculptures, but also in the architectural sensibilities that inform both her and George Woodman’s work. George’s site-specific paper tile installations, in particular, invite comparison to Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire—not through direct lineage, but through a shared devotion to formal clarity, and the transformative potential of scale and repetition.

Happy anniversary to Betty and George Woodman, who married on this day in 1953.

Throughout her career, Betty Woodman embraced the possibilities that different kilns and firing techniques offered, adapting her approach to the materials available in the diverse places where she lived and worked.

Happy 71st anniversary to Betty Woodman and George Woodman, who were married on this day in 1953.

As the solstice today marks the official beginning of summer, we are reminded of the Woodmans’ extensive travels around the world and their months immersed in global artistic influences.

Around 1952, a young George Woodman in Cambridge, Massachusetts, penned his devotion on a USPS customs form: “Little box with littler box inside” and “1 engagement ring of Navajo silver with turquoises.” The precious 4-ounce package was destined for the hands of Elizabeth Abrahams (later to be known as Betty Woodman) across the ocean in Fiesole, Italy, where she had been living and working for the past year.

Catch a glimpse of Betty and George Woodman's Italian studios and home and hear them speak about the importance of Italy to their work in this exhibition video, assembled from interviews in the Woodman Family Foundation archives.

Video vignettes by Charleston that highlight artworks by Betty Woodman and George Woodman included in the exhibition Betty Woodman and George Woodman. On view through September 10, 2023.

Read Ajesh Patalay's preview of "Betty Woodman and George Woodman" on view now through September 10, 2023 at Charleston, East Sussex, UK.

Last chance to see this unique exhibition, the first two-person presentation of Betty Woodman’s and George Woodman’s work in the UK. Focused on the couple's prolific time at their farmhouse in Antella, Italy—where they lived and worked for part of each year for nearly fifty years—the exhibition explores the artists’ mutual influences and their shared life immersed in art, culture, travel and experimentation, reflected in kindred palettes and patterns. Catch a glimpse of their Italian studios and home and hear them speak about the importance of Italy to their work in this exhibition video, assembled from interviews in the Woodman Family Foundation archives.

Read Halima Jibril's piece on "Betty Woodman and George Woodman." On view now through September 10, 2023 at Charleston, East Sussex, UK.