Late Work

Following a sabbatical in Cape Cod Massachusetts in 1968, Corita chose to leave the order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and move to Boston to live on her own for the first time in 1970. Living and working on the east coast until her death in 1986, Corita completed many large scale works, including the design for the Boston Gas Company's gas tank in 1971. One of the largest copyrighted art objects the world, Corita intended her Rainbow Tank, as it more commonly known, to be a large scale expression of peace at the height of the Vietnam War.

At the end of her career, Corita not only worked on massive public commissions but also created intimate, highly personal individual prints. Drawing from the beauty of the New England landscape, Corita created serene landscapes and delightful, abstract floral compositions that express messages of hope and empowerment. life is a succession (1977) encourages viewers to embrace life, as she proclaims, "life is a succession of moments to live each one is to succeed." These powerful personal messages surely resonated with Corita's own battle with cancer over the last twelve years of her life.