Martha Wright Ambrose

Note: Guatemalan-born Martha Wright Ambrose moved to New Orleans at the age of eight and started formally studying art in 1931 after winning a yearlong scholarship to the New Orleans Arts and Crafts Club’s art school. This twist of fate would pique her interest in art and change the trajectory of her life.

Ambrose moved to New York with the thought of pursuing acting, but she soon abandoned those ambitions and enrolled at the Art Students League in 1944, eventually meeting Jack Ambrose and marrying him in 1946. Upon her return to New Orleans, Ambrose struggled as her artistic ambitions were quelled by predominating social norms and the pressure to be a housewife. It would be the unfortunate event of the death of her husband, Jack, in 1961 that would provide Ambrose with the freedom to pursue her passion for art and career as a teacher and activist in the New Orleans arts community.

In 2003, Scott Veazey, a friend of Ambrose, purchased the late artist’s former home where he uncovered countless oils and watercolors spanning the arc of the elusive artist’s career. The discovery led to renewed academic and art historical interest in her work, and she became the subject of an overdue and impressive monograph—a joint effort between renowned local author, Roulhac Toledano, and Veazey published in 2016. Ambrose’s paintings span many decades and subject matters from local city scenes documenting New Orleans architecture to portraits and her travels around the world. Although a masterful painter, Ambrose did not seek to promote herself or sell her works, making them very rare on the market today. She had no need for the money and chose instead to live a bohemian life on her own terms.

Ref.: Toledano, Roulhac and Scott Veazey. Martha Wright Ambrose (1914-2000): The Rediscovery of a Southern Regional Artist. Lafayette: University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, 2016.