Louise Lemp

BORN: June 12, 1909 in St. Louis, Missouri (also reportedly in New York, NY)

DIED: May 3, 1977 in Milwaukee, WI

Believed to have been born in Missouri, Louise Lemp, daughter of a St. Louis brewing family, lived in Paris with her mother and father, who had retired early, from about 1927 until 1939.

Living in Paris in the 1930's as a twenty year old, had to have been the best of both worlds. She visited the theater regularly and lunched in Parisian cafes with her mother's friends. She studied at the Beaux Arts under George Leroux, Louis Roger, and Emile Aubry and was recognized as having exceptional talent.  She was trained in the classic tradition and, throughout her life clung to it. 

In 1935, at the age of 25, she exhibited at the Salon of the Societe des artistes Francais and won the society's silver metal for portrait painting. Until then, John Singer Sargent  was the only other American to receive the medal. Her paintings of this period reflect her intense concentration on mastering technique, her influence of classicism, and class assignments.

By 1939, her instructors felt she was ready for a one-person exhibition, but World War II threatened, so she returned to the US. It is widely believed that had she been able to remain in Paris and continue her career, she would have achieved the recognition she deserved and desperately desired.

In 1940, art works she did in France were exhibited at the Milwaukee Art Institute ( now Milwaukee Art Museum). In 1941 she married  Edwin L. Pabst ( 1908-1977) in New York City.  He was her first cousin and the grandson of the founder of Pabst Brewing Co. They resided briefly in Lake Forest, Illinois.  Then for the remainder of their lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

She painted vigorously in the forties and fifties - but they are lesser. They are delicate, dream-like, and perfectly executed, but lack the vitality of her earlier work. During this time, she painted many portraits of Milwaukee's "beautiful people", which are defined with great clarity and sensitivity. She had acclaimed shows in Milwaukee, New York, Chicago and Paris. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D C.

During the last decade of her life, Louise continued to explore new mediums. She cast many of her portrait sculptures in bronze, and reduced some to small intaglio prints and bas-reliefs. She also mastered needlepoint at a level far beyond the skills of the average. These pictures have combinations of subtle color, light and shading, and are executed in silk, with wool and metallic threads.

Throughout her career, she will be remembered as an artist who remained true to her belief in beauty with sincerity in all expressions whether they were in vogue or not.