Information — Kate Manheim

Jonas Mekas
Kate Manheim with a daisy 1972

Kate Manheim is one of the universe's most beautiful and mysterious secrets. A prolific artist of incredible energy and power, her photography, acting, writing and artwork are honest, intense, cathartic and unique in all the world. Working in the hermetic environment of her Wooster Street loft without compromise, apology or acknowledgment, her process is as pure as it gets. Kate is the real deal. An artist who creates for no other reason than she is compelled to. The results are striking, imaginative and speak to the human psyche directly in languages both angelic and demonic. - John Zorn

Kate Manheim hails from a diverse background of academic study and theatre. The daughter of famous translator Ralph Manheim, she received a classical education at the Sorbonne in Paris, specializing in History of the Medieval Ages and Chinese language. Turning her sights towards the acting world, Kate became one of the leading actresses in Richard Foreman's Ontological-Hysteric Theatre in Paris and New York City. In 1983, she was a lead performer in the stagings of Heiner Muller's work by Jean Jourdheuil and Jean-Francois Peyret at the Petit Odeon in Paris. In 1987 she retired from acting and was admitted to Cooper Union in New York City to pursue her passion for art. Since attending Cooper Union, Kate Manheim has been evolving her complex computer-based imagery, creating over 600 paintings, in them calling attention to the mystery of inspiration. In May and June of 1996, Manheim exhibited a lifetime's work of artwork from childhood paintings of Christ to the "grief portraits" of her mother who died in 1985.