Lily Harmon
A Life Painted in Social Realism: The World of Lily Harmon Lily Harmon (born Lillian Perelmutter, 1912-1998) was a quietly powerful force in American art for much of the 20th century. Though perhaps not a household name, her career spanned decades and encompassed portraiture, book illustration, assemblage, and a deep engagement with the Social Realist movement. Harmon’s life story is as compelling as the canvases she created—a journey marked by intellectual curiosity, artistic dedication, and a willingness to explore the complexities of human experience. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, her e…
The Subject Atlas
A chart of Lily Harmon's corpus mapped not by date but by subject. Spokes are what they painted; rings are when; and the threads between stars reveal the patrons and places that secretly connect them.
Spokes — Subject
Each arm of the atlas gathers works by what they depict: portraits, sacred scenes, mythologies, and the scientific studies. Click a spoke to swing that cluster to the top.
Rings — Career Period
Distance from the center marks time. The innermost ring is the earliest period; the outermost, the final years. Style matures as you move outward.
Threads — Shared Context
Coloured lines link works bound by the same patron, commission, or theme. Trace a context to watch related clusters light up across subjects.
