Joan Mitchell was one of the few female artists of her generation to gain critical acclaim for her work, along with artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and Lee Krasner. Closely associated with the New York School of Abstract Expressionists, Mitchell was a unique and independent figure, and her practice became more vibrant and light-infused as her long career progressed. Setting herself apart from her American contemporaries, Mitchell worked in relative isolation in Vétheuil, outside Paris, from 1967 until her death in 1992. Inspired by sunflowers and the environment of Vétheuil, Mitchell’s later body of work exemplifies her gestural and energetic style.