Victoria Donohue (American, 1929-2018) oil painting on board titled Recess depicting a crowded schoolyard full of children in uniform and a supervising nun playing in front of a Catholic school. Signed lower right. Titled under the artist’s label on the reverse. The American flag waving above it. Artwork in gold wood frame measures 17.75” x 21.75”. Artwork and contemporary frame in very good condition.
From Wikipedia:
Victoria Donohoe (March 21, 1929 – November 21, 2018) was an artist, art critic and historian who wrote for The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Catholic Standard and Times for over 50 years. She has been described by editor Gabriel Escobar of the Inquirer as "indomitable" and having "an aura of legend". She did not drive a car or own a television, preferring to travel by public transit and avoid the use of telephones, answering machines, and computers. Throughout her career, she would file her columns in person at the Inquirer suburban newsroom in Conshohocken, typing them from her handwritten notes. She published over 1,000 articles in the Inquirer over 50 years between 1962 and 2012.
Victoria Donohoe was born March 21, 1929, and was a lifelong resident of Narberth, PA. Her father Daniel J. Donohoe was an artist and illustrator who worked for the Evening Bulletin. Her mother, Ann (O'Neill) Donohoe, taught art classes at Moore College of Art and Design.
Victoria attended high school at Mater Misericordiae Academy (now Merion Mercy Academy), a Catholic college preparatory school for girls in Merion, Pennsylvania, in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She received her bachelor’s degree from Rosemont College in 1950, as well as a teaching certificate. She taught art at Rosemont while earning her Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. She then went to Florence, Italy where she attended Pope Pius XII Institute-Graduate School of Fine Arts for Women at Villa Schifanoia in 1953.
Donohoe wrote over 1,000 articles about art and architecture for the Philadelphia Inquirer over a fifty-year period from 1962-2012. Described as "grace personified", she wrote both perceptively and frankly about the artists, works and events she reviewed, but phrased her criticisms gently. "Her insightful but honest interpretations of their work earned her respect throughout the art world.”
Donohue earned an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Villanova University in 1985. Her works are held by the Stuart Weitzman School of Design (University of Pennsylvania), the Rosemont College Archives, and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Donohoe was active in local historical preservation activities, resulting in the creation of historical markers by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission. In 2003, Donohoe helped to obtain registration for Narbrook Park Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places. She was also a co-author of Narbrook Park: A Garden City Experiment.
Victoria Donohoe died on November 21, 2018. In her will, she left both a financial gift and a manuscript about local Narberth History to the Lower Merion Historical Society. The Society is preparing her manuscipt for publication.
