Beatrice Wood (
March 3,
1893 -
March 12,
1998) was an
American artist and
ceramicist, who late in life was dubbed the "Mama of Dada," and served as a partial inspiration for the character of
Rose DeWitt Bukater in
James Cameron's 1997 film,
Titanic. Beatrice Wood died nine days after her 105th birthday in
Ojai, California.
Childhood During this time period, Wood was introduced to
Marcel Duchamp, who in turn introduced her to her first great love interest,
Henri-Pierre Roché, a man twice her age. She worked with Duchamp and Roché in the 1910s to create
The Blind Man, a magazine that was one of the earliest manifestations of the
Dada art movement in New York City.
Dada and the Avant-garde Though she was involved with Roché, the two would often spend time with Duchamp, creating a love triangle. Biographies of Wood traditionally link Roché's novel (and the consequent film),
Jules et Jim, with the relationship between Duchamp, Wood, and himself
[2],
[3]. Other sources link their triangle to Roché's unfinished novel,
Victor, and
Jules et Jim with the triangle between Roché, Franz Hessel and Helen Hessel
[4]. Beatrice Wood commented on this topic on p. 136 of her 1985 autobiography,
I Shock Myself:
Roché lived in Paris with his wife Denise, and had by now written Jules et Jim...Because the story concerns two young men who are close friends and a woman who loves them both, people have wondered how much was based on Roché, Marcel, and me. I cannot say what memories or episodes inspired Roché, but the characters bear only passing resemblance to those of us in real life! Roché, Duchamp, and Jules et Jim Wood was next introduced to the art patrons,
Walter and Louise Arensberg (who would become her lifelong friends). They held regular gatherings in which artists, writers, and poets were invited for intellectual discussion. Besides herself, Duchamp, and Roché, the group included
Man Ray and
Francis Picabia. Beatrice Wood's relationship with them and others associated with the avant-garde movement of the early 20th century, earned her the designation "Mama of Dada." Beatrice did not stay at the academy because it was too academic for her
The Arensbergs and their circle In her early forties, after a succession of failed artistic careers (most notably as an actress) and an annulled marriage, Beatrice moved back to
Los Angeles,
California.
It was at this time that she bought a pair of baroque plates with a luster glaze. She wanted to find a matching teapot to go along with it, but was unsuccessful. Deciding to make the teapot herself, she enrolled in a ceramic class at
Hollywood High School. This hobby turned into a passion that would last over the next sixty years, as she developed a unique form of luster-glaze technique that proved successful.
In 1947, Beatrice felt that her career was established enough for her to build a home. She settled in
Ojai, California in 1948 to be near the Indian philosopher
Jiddu Krishnamurti and became a life long member of the
Theosophical Society - Adyar, events which would greatly influence her artistic philosophies. She also taught and lived at the
Happy Valley School.
Ever the comedienne, when asked the secret to her incredible longevity, she would respond, "I owe it all to chocolate and young men."
In 1994, the
Smithsonian Institution named Wood an "Esteemed American Artist."
Ojai, California Books:
Clark, Garth, "Gilded Vessel: The Lustrous Life and Art of Beatrice Wood". Guild Publishing, 2001.
Wallace, Marlene, "Playing Chess With the Heart: Beatrice Wood at 100". San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1994.
Wood, Beatrice, "I Shock Myself: The Autobiography of Beatrice Wood". 1985. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2006.
Famous alumni of the "Albertina"
Crossings
2006 was Matthew's first full season in the WRC, as a driver for the Stobart 
Special number plate series
Filmmaking career