Renowned Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar, 99, has died

GEORGETOWN, Maine — Renowned Maine artist Dahlov Ipcar has died, her sons, Charles Ipcar of Richmond and Robert Ipcar of Brooklyn, New York, said in a statement Saturday afternoon on behalf of her family.

Ipcar was 99 years old when she died Friday, her sons said.

“Dahlov spent the morning as usual at her easel working on her latest painting; she fielded a few calls with her son, Bob, pertaining to a sit-down interview for a publication and worked with her son, Charlie, on a number of projects related to her upcoming exhibits,” they said.

“In the late afternoon she bid good day to her home health aide but early in the evening she phoned a family member [and said] that she wasn’t feeling well. She was still conscious when the emergency medical team arrived but then her heart gave out and she could not be revived,” her sons said.

“At the age of 99, she worked right up to the end, doing what she loved. We should all be so lucky — but it hurts just the same. May she forever be with the wondrous beasts of her imagination, a transcendental world that knows no beginning or end,” they said.

Ipcar was born in Windsor, Vermont, on Nov. 12, 1917, and was raised in Greenwich Village, New York City. Her parents, William and Marguerite Zorach were well known modern artists, with Marguerite Zorach’s work now included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. Dahlov was raised surrounded by art.

She attended a number of progressive schools on scholarship, developing her art interests, and in 1939, at the age of 22, had her first retrospective show at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art.

Dahlov’s artwork has been featured in major museums nationwide and at numerous private exhibits. Much of her work can be seen on her Facebook page.

Dahlov wrote and illustrated more than 30 children’s books, including “The Cat at Night,” “Stripes and Spots,” Deep Sea Farm” and “Lobsterman.” She also wrote four fantasy novels, made three-dimensional cloth sculptures, and received numerous awards over her long life.

Ipcar moved to an extra farmhouse at her parents’ property in Maine in Georgetown in 1936 after marrying Adolph Ipcar. Dahlov Ipcar worked from a studio attached to a old farmhouse overlooking Robinhood Cove.

Read more at Bangor Daily News.