California Surrealist 1924 - 2008

Welcome to the new website of Toinette Laurant, now in its early stages of construction.

This site's goal is to serve as a testament to Toinette's multifaceted life and her rich body of work.

While much content is yet to be added here, for now we are including her biography, some photos and a few samples of her artwork. Some additional references and links are featured on the bottom left of the page, as is Toinette's family contact information.

Coming soon will be a gallery page of her paintings and drawings. We hope that you will check back periodically to see what additions have been made.

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San Francisco painter Toinette Botkin Laurant passed away on February 28, 2008 at the age of 83, in Novato, California from complications of Alzheimer's and Parkinson¹s diseases. She is survived by her son, Alexander Laurant, daughter-in-law Dawn Morton-Laurant, grandsons Nicholas and Gabriel Laurant, brother and sister-in-law Glenn and Lenore Botkin, and cousin Daniel Botkin.

Toinette was born in Quincy, Massachusetts on August 21, 1924. Her father was the abstract expressionist painter Henry Botkin, first cousin and close friend to George and Ira Gershwin. Her mother Robel Paris, also a painter, taught art in Haiti for many years through the Peace Corps. For most of her childhood, Toinette was raised by her father and step-mother Rhoda. Her uncle Benjamin Botkin was the esteemed American folklorist.

Toinette spent her early childhood in Paris, France, where her father built a home and ran a successful painting studio. At the age of seven, Toinette's family moved to Greenwich Village, New York City, where she spent the remainder of her childhood. As a young woman she briefly studied fashion design and took writing courses from Columbia University. She later worked as a clothing designer and on the staff of Pageant, a popular fashion magazine.

At the age of 27 while traveling in Paris, Toinette met and married Henry Warner Laurant, an economist recently graduated from the London School of Economics and working in Manchester, England. Over the next decade they lived in England, New York, California and Argentina. While living in Buenos Aires Toinette began to nurture her painting talents and in 1961 their only son Alexander was born.

The family returned to the US in 1962 to briefly live in Palo Alto, California, and Henry and Toinette divorced shortly thereafter. Toinette moved to the Marina District of San Francisco where she raised Alexander and continued to live and work until 2001.

As Toinette's skills as a painter matured she found her muse in the European Dada and Surrealist movements, taking inspiration from such artists as Rene Magritte, Yves Tanguy, Max Ernst and Giorgio De Chirico. Over the next decade she developed her own style of “California Surrealism.” Painted on home-stretched canvases her work depicted unexpected juxtapositions of space and subject, alternately dark or whimsical in mood, always colorful and thought provoking. Toinette's love of wit and the absurd infected many of her paintings, which were often peppered with visual puns and topical references.

For years Toinette made her living by teaching art classes in her small home studio. She was quite prolific in her own work, participated in many group shows and as her work gained momentum, she had numerous solo exhibitions.

Toinette returned to school in 1984 to earn her BA from the San Francisco Art Institute and was an active member of the S.F. art scene, lending support to local galleries and arts organizations. She was a long-time member of the San Francisco Women Artists and belonged to the SF Artists Equity Association. She also served on the San Francisco Arts Commission under the administration of Mayor George Moscone.

In 1985, Toinette took a position with Levi Strauss and Co. in S.F. as a retirement benefits counselor and worked there for 7 years. This work gave her great satisfaction as she lent her assistance, compassion and good humor to the company's many retirees. While employed full-time and after her retirement she continued to be creative, working on her paintings, drawings and mixed-media collages, always kept company by a succession of loyal and supportive cats.

In 2001, with the onset of Alzheimer's related symptoms, Toinette left her S.F. home of nearly 40 years, moving north to Novato, CA to live closer to her son, daughter-in-law and 2 grandsons. She enjoyed their company through declining health but persistently high spirits until her passing.

She will be remembered with warmth and respect as a passionate artist and supporter of the arts in San Francisco and as a loving mother, grandmother and friend. Possessed of a hungry intellect and great wit, Toinette leaves behind an impressive body of uniquely personal work and the lasting affection of all who knew and loved her.

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