Racelle Larkin

LARKIN--Racelle, died peacefully on October 2 at her home in Bridgehampton, NY, after a long illness, surrounded by her husband and children. She was 80 years old. Racelle was raised in Brooklyn, the daughter of Harry Kessler and the former Marlye Rothstein, and attended the High School of Music and Art. She went on to study at Brooklyn College, Syracuse University, Hunter College and the Columbia University School of Painting and Sculpture, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. As Racelle Strick, she had her first solo exhibition of paintings at the Rose Fried Gallery in New York in 1966. She also showed frequently at the Elaine Benson Gallery in Bridgehampton where she summered, beginning in 1968. In the 1970s, Racelle exhibited her work at 55 Mercer and the SoHo Center for Visual Artists. In the 1980s she showed at the Anita Shapolsky Gallery and Haber/Theodore, both in Manhattan, as well as at Dowling College in Oakdale, NY. In addition, she participated in many group shows, at Franklin Furnace, American Abstract Artists in Westbeth, the Portland Museum of Art, the Corpus Christi Museum, the Baltimore Museum, and the Jewish Museum in New York, among others. Racelle's work is represented in the NYU Art Collection, MoMA Lending Services, and many private collections. For over 30 years, she divided her time between Manhattan and Bridgehampton, eventually moving to Bridgehampton in 1998 with her husband Peter Larkin, the noted Broadway and Hollywood production designer. In addition to her husband, Racelle is survived by her two children from her previous marriage, Ivy Hamlin of Forest Hills, and Wesley Strick of Los Angeles, her brother, Alan Kessler, of Bedford Hills, NY, and five grandchildren and two nieces who adored her. A graveside service was held for Mrs. Larkin on October 3 at the Independent Jewish Cemetery in Sag Harbor, NY. Contributions in Racelle Larkin's memory may be made to East End Hospice, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978, and the Dominican Sisters Family Health Service, P.O. Box 209, Hampton Bays, NY 11946.