JANE BORDEN CHERMAYEFF

CHERMAYEFF, Jane Borden An accomplished and exuberant painter, died peacefully on April 27th at The Mews in Greenwich, CT. She was 86 years old. Jane's early painting career focused on serene Victorian beach scenes and vibrant still lifes, which she painted at home in Concord and at studios in Cambridge and Boston, MA. In 1987, given her love for the Southwest, she moved to Santa Fe, NM, where her painting themes shifted to include colorful landscapes of the Southwest, Italy, and Brazil. She acquired a beautiful 18th century adobe home on historic Canyon Road, which had been Santa Fe's first drive-in grocery and dry goods store for horse-drawn carriages in the late 19th century, and built her nearby studio on the banks of the Santa Fe River. Participating in over three dozen exhibitions (solo or group), she was awarded many prizes in competitive and juried shows. Her artwork is in numerous private collections, including in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, as well as corporate collections, including Bain & Company and the Bank of New England. She was represented by the South Wharf Gallery (Nantucket, MA), the Hoorn-Ashby Gallery (New York, NY) and the Garden & Soul Gallery (Taos, NM). Jane was adventurous and keenly interested in different cultures. She drove across the United States with her beloved dogs numerous times and traveled around the world to many countries and regions, including the Bahamas, Africa, Europe, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. She also enjoyed Mediterranean Sea cruises to archaeology sites along the coasts of Greece and Turkey. Jane loved the great outdoors. Like her father Dick Borden, a well-known sportsman and filmmaker, Jane traveled to East Africa in 1969 to film and then produce a series of short wildlife films for Encyclopaedia Britannica with her second husband Peter Chermayeff of Andover, MA. Born July 27, 1935 in Fall River, MA, she grew up in Milton, MA, attended Mount Vernon Seminary (Washington, D.C.), and graduated from Radcliffe College (Cambridge, MA) with Honors in Anthropology & Archaeology. She then studied art and painting at the Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI), Radcliffe Seminars, School of the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY), and the Museum School, DeCordova Museum (Lincoln, MA). Her first marriage was with Sandy Batchelder of Brookline, MA. Jane is survived by her three sons, Jack Batchelder of Gloucester, MA, Ben Batchelder of Miami Beach, FL, and Nicholas Chermayeff of Rowayton, CT; her daughter-in-law Andrea Chermayeff also of Rowayton, CT; her siblings Spencer Borden of Concord, MA, Betsy Carlson of Santa Barbara, CA, Sandy Knox-Johnson of Montecito, CA, Patricia du Pont of Guilford, CT, Michael Sweney Borden of Hollywood, CA, and John Sweney of Houston, TX; by six grandchildren including Christopher Batchelder of Brooklyn, NY, Aisling Batchelder of Charlotte, NC, Tatiana Chermayeff of Austin, TX and Maximilian, Saskia, and Felix Chermayeff all of Rowayton, CT; and her beloved live-in caregiver Louise Davy of Bronx, NY. Private Memorials will be held at the Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA, and the Fort Union Ranch, Watrous, NM, at times to be determined. Donations in her memory may be made to the Santa Fe Humane Society (www.sfhumanesociety.org) or the Santa Fe 12-Step Friendship Club (www.friendshipclubsantafe.org).

View the online memorial for Jane Borden CHERMAYEFF