Pollak, Theresa

Theresa Pollak (1899-2002) was one of Virginia's most well-known artists and art educators. She was instrumental in the founding of Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Pollak was a nationally recognized painter whose art works have been exhibited in institutions as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D. C. More importantly, Pollak is credited with the introduction of modern art to Richmond.

Born 13 August 1899, Pollak graduated from Westhampton College of the University of Richmond. In 1920 she was accepted at the Art Students League of New York, and with the support of Dr. Orie Latham Hatcher, who helped her get a tuition scholarship, she was able to continue her work at the League after graduating from Westhampton in 1921. During Pollak's stay in New York, one of her drawings was awarded the first prize at the Studio club of New York (1926). She continued her training with post-graduate work at the Fogg Museum of Harvard University, and later she studied at the Hans Hoffmann School of Painting in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

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