Janice Biala

Who was Janice Biala?

Janice Biala was a Polish-born American painter well regarded both in France and the United States for her paintings of intimate interiors, portraits of her famous friends, and the places she traveled. In 1930, on a trip to Paris, she met and fell in love with the English Novelist, Ford Madox Ford. Remaining with Ford until his death in 1939, Biala became the perfect representation of American bohemia in France signing her paintings simply as Biala. Following the death of Ford in 1939, Biala returned to New York where she became one of the few women associated with the New York School befriending painter Willem de Kooning and critic Harold Rosenberg among others. In 1950, she participated in the important abstract expressionist discussion group at Studio 35 and exhibited frequently at the Stable Gallery.