“STORY OF THE HUNT”: Works from the estate of female American modernist Peter Miller will be on view in an exhibition running April 23 through May 31 at The Gratz Gallery and Conservation Studio in Doylestown, Pa.

Gratz Gallery and Conservation Studio Inc. has announced its 40th anniversary celebration and upcoming exhibition of the estate of Peter Miller, a female American modernist, on view April 23 through May 31. A preview and anniversary party for “Peter Miller – Forgotten Woman of American Modernism” will be held on April 23 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the gallery in Doylestown, Pa. A selection of her works will also be featured at the 60th Annual Philadelphia Show, held April 28 to May 1 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

For 40 years, Gratz Gallery has taken pride in supporting the arts and communities of New Hope, Bucks County, Philadelphia, and the Delaware Valley. They have worked with many organizations over the years, including the James A. Michener Art Museum, the Princeton University Art Museum, Morven Museum & Garden, the Drumthwacket Foundation, Princeton University, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Mercer Museum, the Woodmere Art Museum, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The Pennsylvania Historical Society, the Travis Manion Foundation, AIDS Walk New Hope, and the Salvation Army, to name a few.

This year the gallery has announced its commitment for a portion of their sales to be designated to the Philadelphia organization Philabundance.

Over the years, Gratz Gallery has promoted and featured many important female, American artists from the New Hope Circle, The Philadelphia Ten, and students from The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.  It has always been their belief that female artists more often do not receive the deserved recognition for their work and talent. It is their hope that women artists from history and current times are finally being seen, reevaluated, and honored for their contributions to the American art community.

According to the gallery, the Peter Miller collection, and her story, is one of the most fascinating and important discoveries they have made over their 40 years representing American painters. It is their great pleasure and honor to present the estate of Peter Miller.

Born Henrietta Myers in 1913, Miller attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1933. To demonstrate her passion and determination, she wrote in her application that “she would rather fail at painting than succeed at anything else in life.” She adopted her childhood nickname, Peter, and became Peter Miller after marrying fellow academy student Earle Miller in 1935. Thinking she might be taken more seriously by fellow artists, collectors, and critics with a male sounding name, she was hoping to enhance her career in a world heavily dominated by men. Miller came from a very affluent family in Hanover, Pa., and later settled at Rock Raymond Farm in Chester County, Pa. She designated the 350-acre farm and property to be donated to the Brandywine Conservancy after her death in 1996.

Miller exhibited at the prestigious Julien Levy gallery in two one-woman shows in 1944 and 1946. She studied under famed Pennsylvania Impressionist Daniel Garber, and privately with modernist Arthur Carles for 10 years. Peter and Earle Miller split their personal time between Pennsylvania and their spiritual home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Peter was the goddaughter of mystic Edith Warner and San Ildefonso Pueblo Indian, Tilano Montoya, both known for running “Teahouse at Otowi Bridge,” a small, self-sustaining destination for hungry travelers and sometimes even the families of nearby working scientists of the Manhattan project in Los Alamos.

Miller left her high society life to become an artist, immersed herself in the ancient history and ceremonies of the Native Americans, and drew passion and inspiration from these deeply connected friendships. But she was also friends with the Calders, Henri Matisse, Max Ernst, and all of the surrealists of that time living in New York. Miller’s paintings combine the influences of early modernist painters such as Pablo Picasso, Jean Miro, Fernand Leger, Arthur Carles, and Paul Klee with Native American symbols, petroglyphs, and ceremonial objects.

The exhibition is accompanied by a first ever published monograph on the artist, fully illustrated, with text written by art historian Francis M. Naumann.

Gratz Gallery and Conservation Studio is located at 5230 Silo Hill Road in Doylestown, Pa. It open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 12 to 6 p.m., and by appointment. Call (215) 348-2500 or visit gratzgallery.com for more information.