Interview Directory 

ART

Name: Jonell Lennon and Mark Pittman, both representatives of Dorothy's estate.

Dorothy Rice & Stanley Chase, Orly Airport, courtesy of Dorothy Rice Art Company

"Despite having over 50 gallery and museum shows during her impressive thirty-year career, she still wanted to accomplish more."

What can you tell us about Dorothy Rice as a person? And how did you meet? 

Dorothy was a successful, multi-talented artist who was drawn to people with artistic talent and rooted for them to succeed. Despite having over 50 gallery and museum shows during her impressive thirty-year career, she still wanted to accomplish more. Undoubtedly, her drive and sense of purpose is a big part of why she lived for almost 99 years. Dorothy was also very intuitive and curious about people and other cultures. She spent many years traveling the world, immersing herself in different cultures. Most of her collections were inspired by her travels. 

Jonell Lennon: I met Dorothy after I graduated from UCLA film school. She was looking for someone to help her write her memoir. We were both from New York, had similar sensibilities and instantly hit it off. Despite being in her 80s, Dorothy seemed like a much younger woman. She was beautiful, smart and strong-willed. 

Mark Pittman: I met Dorothy through her husband, Stanley Chase, a successful Broadway, film and television producer who I was friends with. Over the years, my wife and I became close with Dorothy and Stanley, and we socialized as couples. My wife eventually edited Dorothy’s memoir. Dorothy and Stanley were an impressive couple: deeply committed to each other, including supporting each other in all of their artistic endeavors. 

What do you find outstanding about Dorothy Rice's artwork? What is happening with this great work now? 

What stands out is how exceptionally gifted Dorothy was at so many mediums: watercolor, oil, sculpture, silkscreen, mixed media. She moved seamlessly from one medium and technique to the next. In 1996, Architectural Digest was so impressed with her versatility that they dedicated a four-page spread to her watercolor paintings of New York City. Per Dorothy’s wishes, we’re continuing to share her artwork, and we’re excited to introduce her to a new audience who we believe will be inspired by her incredible paintings and life story. Paintings from her private collection are once again being exhibited in galleries and museums. 

The Hills of Beverly ca. 1976-1979, Watercolor

courtesy of Dorothy Rice Art Company

"Dorothy didn’t work as an artist during her eighteen-year modeling career because her time and energy were focused on mastering every aspect of the craft: fashion, design, lighting, photography, hair and makeup."

How did she find the time and the muse to work as an artist alongside such a glamorous life as a top model?

At age 13, Dorothy was hired to do illustration work at her father’s art studio in New York City. By 14, she was studying at the prestigious Art Students League. However, when she was 15, on a night out at the legendary nightclub El Morocco, Dorothy was “discovered” by Vogue photographer John Rawlings and her modeling career was launched. Dorothy didn’t work as an artist during her eighteen-year modeling career because her time and energy were focused on mastering every aspect of the craft: fashion, design, lighting, photography, hair and makeup. Dorothy said her artistic eye helped her to continuously transform her look to meet the demands of the ever-changing fashion industry. She also developed a relentless work ethic as a model. In the 40s and 50s, Dorothy’s high-powered agent John Robert Powers didn’t get her work, he only negotiated her contracts. Even when Dorothy was at the peak of her profession, she had to hustle to get the assignments that she wanted. This dogged pursuit served her well. When Dorothy transitioned back to her first love, fine art, she applied the same work ethic to her artistic endeavors.   

“Rice is a true diplomat and generator of good will between the people of Mexico and the United States…Her work is monumental yet fragile, as is most true and great art.”

Dorothy was obviously an extremely productive artist. Did she try to make a second career as an artist? Did she also see this from a commercial point of view? 

Dorothy looked at her life fluidly—modeling, acting and painting were all art forms. That said, she had to dedicate such immense energy to modeling and acting, that when she shifted her focus back to the fine arts, she did see it as a separate and new career. Dorothy was a child prodigy and despite incredible success as a model and actress, she was the proudest of her accomplishments as an artist.

When it came to choosing what to focus her collections on, Dorothy was led by what interested and moved her on a personal level. She felt a strong desire to try to capture the humanity in us all. The birth of her collections often stemmed from this ethos. She turned several of her collections into art books, which was a way for her work to be seen and enjoyed by the public.  Dorothy’s collectors include prominent names such as director John Huston, author Gore Vidal and journalist Barbara Walters. What did her art critics say about her? Many critics wrote about Dorothy’s work over the years. Universally, they were drawn to Dorothy’s use of vibrant colors and her ability to capture the essence and spirit of the people and places she painted from her own unique point of view. 

When reviewing Dorothy’s Los Angeles collection, Jonathan Kirsch of the Los Angeles Times said Dorothy “captured a softer and more romantic aspect of our city than we are accustomed to seeing. There’s an exuberance, almost an innocence to her conception of the city landscape – she has an eye for color and movements and a taste for the quaint.” After Dorothy’s solo exhibition at the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC, featuring 53 of Dorothy’s Israel watercolors, author and critic Linda Bayer said of Dorothy’s work: “Awed silence is the invariable response to the bright, vibrant world Rice re-creates…A babel of languages divides people; but the interplay of texture, line and form is universal.” And Carl S. Dentzel, the director of the Southwest Museum, said of her Mexico collection: “Rice is a true diplomat and generator of good will between the people of Mexico and the United States…Her work is monumental yet fragile, as is most true and great art.” 

What are her most important works? 

Dorothy’s Mexico collection was her first and probably most important collection because it launched her career as an artist. It took Dorothy a year and a half to paint several of these great works. In 1975, she had her first solo exhibition at the renowned Southwest Museum in Los Angeles. The collection was so well-received that the museum extended the exhibition from one month to three months

And which are your personal favorites? 

Jonell Lennon: I personally love Dorothy’s Mexico collection. I’m drawn to the palette knife technique that she used to create these exquisite oil paintings. Being a native New Yorker, I also love her New York series. Dorothy beautifully captured the iconic landmarks and the spirit of the city and people. Barbara Walters called her New York paintings “enormously original” and acquired five of her pieces for the set of The View. 

Mark Pittman: Dorothy’s California collection is my personal favorite, especially her coastal paintings. The collection includes both rich, textured oil paintings and bright, energetic watercolors. Author Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451) wrote about her Los Angeles paintings: “Dorothy Rice’s watercolors stopped me warm. Why write about L.A., I thought, when you have someone else’s eyes to look through!? And Dorothy Rice does have fresh eyes and her own palette. Which means a talent for making the familiar unfamiliar, younger than when you last saw it.”       

Washington Square ca. 1990-1993, Watercolor, Unframed: 24” x 30”

courtesy of Dorothy Rice Art Company

Dorothy Rice, courtesy of Dorothy Rice Art Company