Looking Back

Gladys Nilsson came to national attention in the late 1960s as a member of the Chicago-based group the Hairy Who (1966-69). She is best known for her consummately crafted watercolors which frequently include autobiographical details. "Looking Back" appeared in Nilsson's "60th birthday show" at the Jean Albano Gallery in Chicago (another piece from that same exhibition is in our collection, "Gift Box"). While not explicitly a self-portrait, the watercolor was prompted by reflections Nilsson made at the time in which she painted it. About it she recently said, ""Looking Back" is NOT a self-portrait, but a reflection on women aging in general, the generations looking back on what was. As I have been aging, I have been reflecting on the women in my family and remembrances of childhood, and my looking forward."