Laura Spong (American, 1926-2018), Celebration

oil on canvas, signed lower right, gallery wrapped canvas.
50 x 30 in.
Laura Spong was one of South Carolina's most prominent painters, recognized internationally for her expressive non-objective abstract paintings.

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Spong graduated cum laude from Vanderbilt University as an English major. It was not until the 1950s, while living with her family in Columbia, South Carolina, that she focused seriously on studying art. In the 1960s, she studied with Sigmund Abeles, a noted figurative artist, and William Halsey, a noted abstract artist. Under Halsey's influence, Spong found her inspiration and challenge to "construct an interesting, complete arrangement of colors with no givens."

Laura Spong was a guiding force and inspiring advocate for South Carolina's arts community. In 2017, she was awarded the Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Governor's Award for the Arts Lifetime Achievement honor by the South Carolina Arts Commission. Her paintings are in numerous prominent collections including the Columbia Museum of Art, the Greenville County Museum of Art, the South Carolina State Museum of Art and The Johnson Collection in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.lelandlittle.com

Good estate condition.