Explore Peter Miller's Exhibit at Morton Contemporary Gallery

Peter Miller takes center stage at Morton Contemporary Gallery for her first solo exhibition in Philadelphia.

“Head” by Peter Miller

Many artists find fame posthumously, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ (PAFA) own Peter Miller is no exception. While the early American modernist received great recognition while alive, she disappeared for the last 25-30 years of her life after retreating from the public eye. Miller was a true trailblazer, leaving behind a collection of vibrant works with various influences, including her time in New Mexico. Here, owner and curator Debbie Morton (mortoncontemporary.com) dishes on the exhibition, The Peter Miller Story: A Forgotten Woman of American Modernism, open through May 31.

Miller’s “Mystical Creatures”

Why celebrate the life and work of Peter Miller?
As of 2022, women artists’ work accounted for only 9.3% of the overall total of the global auction market. In her 1933 PAFA application, she wrote: “I would rather fail at painting than succeed at anything else in life.” The artist knew what she was up against in a male-dominated field, and as such, she courageously changed her name from Henrietta Myers to Peter Miller in 1935.

What can visitors expect from the exhibit?
The exhibition contains 40-plus Peter Miller original paintings and some biographical information framing her history. The show is curated chronologically from the 1930s through the 1970s so visitors can observe the evolution of her style and more easily see the artistic influences of others on her work like Arthur B. Carles, Paul Klee and Joan Miro.

What do you hope visitors take from the exhibit?
Until recently, the artist has been a forgotten woman in the history of American Modernism. I hope this exhibition will help Peter Miller gain the attention of a new generation of critics, curators, historians and collectors.

The artist

What influence did Miller’s time in Santa Fe have on her art?
Peter was profoundly spiritual, and her paintings emanate a gorgeous mystical energy. In the 1930s, Peter and her husband, Earl, purchased a ranch in New Mexico where she immersed herself in a local Pueblo tribe’s culture and spirituality. Peter’s art transformed, absorbing the sacred Native American ceremonies, petroglyphs, desert animals and colors of the southwestern landscape.

How would you describe Miller’s impact on American Modernism?
Peter’s influence on American Modernism is only now being fully recognized. She withdrew from public art in the late 1970s, and her life’s work disappeared for decades. Before she died in the 1990s, she gifted her artistic estate to a friend in the Catskills. The collection was rediscovered and restored by Paul Gratz. He then brought Peter Miller’s remarkable paintings to me, and this collection forms our current show.