The Pretty Kitty

In the 1960s, Gladys Nilsson exhibited with five other recent School of the Art Institute of Chicago graduates, including her husband, Jim Nutt, under the group name Hairy Who. These artists’ use of bold colors and irreverent counterculture imagery are part of a broader movement known as Chicago Imagism. Women and cats, as depicted in “The Pretty Kitty,” appear frequently in Nilsson’s work. The lone figure against a plain background depicts a sweet moment in a simple composition.