The Only Magazine for Children's Art
Sep 14, 2026
She began painting when she was 78.
Here at tigernoodles, we've recently enthusiastically featured stories of amazing women like Minnie Evans, who began painting in her 50s, and in 1975 became the first Black woman to be honored with a solo exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art, at age 83; and Aboriginal artist Sally Gabori, who did not start painting until she was 81, quickly thereafter became a global sensation, then enjoyed years of success on her own terms before passing away from natural causes ten years later in 2015.
Most famous of all, of course, was Grandma Moses (born Anna Mary Robertson), who had spent a lifetime working an Upstate New York farm with her husband, Thomas Salmon Moses - whom she married in 1887 - before taking up painting in 1938 at the age of 78. By chance, art collector Louis J. Caldor discovered her paintings in a Hoosick Falls, NY drugstore window that same year, bought them all, and immediately set about promoting her burgeoning art career. By 1939, several of her works were being featured in the 'Contemporary Unknown American Painters' exhibition at New York's prestigious Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
That Bentonville's own Crystal Bridges would be organizing this just opened - September 12 - comprehensive survey makes perfect sense, surely, as the museum has been lauded for its commitment to poignantly telling the story of American art. On show through March 29, 2027, 'Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work' gathers works from the two-plus decades which followed on from that fateful day in Hoosick Falls, up until her passing from natural causes in 1961, at age 101.
While it's true that she at first drew influence from the simple, rustic depictions of American rural life by Currier and Ives (whose popular lithographs she discovered in her youth as a housekeeper for a wealthy family), her practice would become increasingly, though deceptively sophisticated, as she deftly yet organically employed abstraction and color theory in sometimes startling ways. But there were also the historical references, as it's hard not to recognize the similarities between her work and that of Dutch Renaissance master Pieter Bruegel the Elder, in that they each painted everyday scenes in a comparably panoramic, slightly enigmatic style.
And though she is now recognized as having been an early pillar of the legitimization of contemporary American folk art, there were those in the art world then - and some even now - that dismissed what they regarded as the homogeneity of her overall oeuvre. Her work was also aggressively commercialized, bringing her tremendous financial reward...something quite unheard for a woman artist at that time.
“Grandma Moses’ career was grounded in a deep love for her craft," observes Crystal Bridges assistant curator of modern art Josie Johnson, "but it was often polarizing even during her lifetime. She challenged social norms, became a proponent for democratic American values, and inspired lifelong learning. We’re excited to see how her work continues to resonate today.”
Especially scenically evocative are her works connected to the coming and going of the seasons - for instance 'The Old Automobile', 'Haying Time', and the festive 'Halloween', featuring a mysteriously intriguing pair of ghostly figures that might just be playacting, but perhaps may be busy casting genuine spells. The wonderfully titled 'It Snows, Oh it Snows' has a vividness that veritably pulls the viewer into the overcast yet palpably cheerful powdery scenery.
Many of her paintings have an immediately transportive power, taking one back to a time that was simpler in some ways, and yet surely more difficult in others.
"'Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work' invites visitors to consider her legacy in the context of contemporary life the United States,” offers Larissa Randall, associate curator of American art at Crystal Bridges, enthusing how the museum is, “looking forward to introducing her extensive body of work to younger generations by foregrounding her artistic skill and entrepreneurial prowess.”
Parents: This six-minute doodleacademy video is a great way to introduce kids to the amazing and inspiring story of Grandma Moses.