In 1937, artist B.J.O. Nordfeldt (1878-1955) moved to Lambertville, New Jersey, after a long career spanning Chicago, Paris, New York City, Santa Fe, and the American Midwest. Located across the Delaware River from New Hope, Pennsylvania, Lambertville offered Nordfeldt the solitude and artistic community to paint while keeping him close to galleries in New York City. However, his early years in the New Jersey river town proved to be difficult as he battled loneliness and depression, both of which had been specters throughout his life. Beginning in 1944, Nordfeldt expressed his frustrations, disappointments, and, occasionally, successes through letters and sketches sent to Emily Abbott. Abbott was one of his former students at the Minneapolis School of Art, a longtime friend, and, later, his wife. In a series of simple line drawings, Nordfeldt documented the daily angst of a struggling artist with humor, charm, and fantasy.
In 2024, the Michener acquired 122 sketches from Nordfeldt’s letters to Abbott. And So to Work: B.J.O. Nordfeldt’s Lambertville will feature approximately two dozen of these drawings, capturing the quirks of an artistic career as well as scenes from the artist’s daily life. These works offer a portrait of both Nordfeldt and Lambertville, which, like its Delaware River Valley counterparts, remains a significant center for artists today.
The exhibition program in the Bette and Nelson Pfundt Gallery is presented by Vivian Banta and Robert Field.