Florence Leif

Florence Leif was born in New York city in 1913. She graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in painting in 1934 and went on to study under John Frazier. Her summers were spent painting in her home on the Cape overlooking Provincetown and the ocean. She traveled widely in Europe and lived in Rome for a year with her husband, Gordon Peers, the chair of the RISD European honors program. She became recognized for her bold, yet fluid brush work which she applied to subject matter ranging from seascapes to portraits. Leif's desire to learn, experiment and discover new things was constant. During her lifetime she exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Carnegie Institute and the Worcester Museum of Art. Recently, she was represented in the "Rightful Recognition" exhibit at the Newport Art Museum. Her work also received numerous awards and is included in the IBM collection and Providence Art Club collection.