Rita Deanin Abbey

Rita Deanin Abbey
Abbey in 1976
Born
Rita Deanin

(1930-07-20)July 20, 1930
Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedMarch 20, 2021(2021-03-20) (aged 90)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Notable work
  • Wall of Creation (1970–71)
  • Bridge Mountain (1974)
  • Spirit Tower (1993)
MovementAbstract Expressionism
Spouses
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(m. 1952; div. 1965)​
Dr. Robert R. Belliveau
​
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(m. 1985)​
Websiteritadeaninabbeymuseum.org

Rita Deanin Abbey (July 20, 1930 – March 20, 2021) was a multidisciplinary abstract artist and among the first art professors at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Born in New Jersey to Polish immigrants, she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1965 to teach, living there for 56 years and contributing several large-scale public artworks.[1] She was an artist-in-residence at the studios of many artists and institutions, had over 60 individual exhibitions, and participated in over 160 national and international group exhibitions.[2][3]

Abbey was known for her many and various uses of media, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, porcelain enamel fired on steel, stained glass, and computer art. A year after her death, the Rita Deanin Abbey Museum opened in Las Vegas. The museum displays her outdoor sculptures and a selection of her extensive body of work.[4]

  1. ^ "Artist and longtime UNLV professor Rita Deanin Abbey dies". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2021-03-29. Archived from the original on 2021-04-05.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference sculpt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Rita Deanin Abbey". Southern Nevada Jewish Community Digital Heritage Project, UNLV University Libraries. 2015-03-31.
  4. ^ "A Towering Spirit". Nevada Public Radio. 2022-08-12. Archived from the original on 2022-08-12.