Susan Seidner Adler

1935 - 2020

Susan Seidner Adler was a self-taught artist and a psychotherapist. She was born in Europe in the 1930’s, and her paintings and figurines reflect the elegant way of life of the times. While attending Smith College, Adler worked with Sylvia Plath on the literary magazine and was later commissioned to paint Plath’s portrait for Smith. The portrait is currently on permanent display at Smith College. During the ‘60’s and 70’s, Adler was part of a social circle that was comprised of prominent New York artists. This circle included her sister-in-law and writer, Renata Adler, and photographer Richard Avedon. Susan Adler and Richard Avedon both made Renata the subject of their portraits. Whereas Susan used oil to paint Renata’s portrait, Richard Avedon used film to create his iconic image of Renata.                           

Adler’s work as a therapist was in tune with her art.  In her own words, “the challenge is to capture more than a likeness, to capture the character of the subject in a painting that is more than a portrait…The particular way that the subject resonates is the inspiration, and the goal is to capture that on canvas, to create a painting that speaks."