Zoe Dusanne

Zoë Dusanne (born Zola Maie Graves; March 24, 1884 – March 6, 1972) was an American art dealer, collector, and promoter who operated the Zoë Dusanne Gallery in Seattle, Washington from 1950 to 1964.

Life and career Dusanne was born Zola Maie Graves on March 24, 1884, in Newton, Kansas. From the age of nine she was raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

In 1912, she moved to Seattle, where she operated a beauty salon. She loaned pieces from her growing collection to the Seattle Art Museum and the Henry Art Gallery, and in 1950, opened the Zoë Dusanne Gallery. Her gallery was the first in North America to mount shows by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama and French artist/poet Henri Michaux, and she was an early exhibitor of works by Sam Francis, Paul Jenkins, Karl Otto Götz, John Franklin Koenig, and many others.

In 1953, largely as a result of Dusanne's efforts, Life magazine ran a major article on the "Mystic Painters of the Northwest", which propelled Tobey, Graves, Callahan, and Anderson to national prominence.

In 1959, the custom-built Zoe Dusanne Gallery was demolished for construction of the Interstate 5 freeway; a second location lasted until 1964, at which time Dusanne retired.

She died in Seattle on March 6, 1972.