Woman in the Sky tells the extraordinary story of Magda Salvesen, who met Abstract Expressionist Jon Schueler in Scotland in 1970. A few months after their introduction, he wrote a will leaving her the entire body of his work. Since Schueler’s death in 1992, Salvesen has secured his legacy and ensured its preservation, with his paintings being part of over 70 world renowned collections including The Whitney, The Art Institute of Chicago, SF MOMA and The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
Reflecting on three decades as Schueler’s partner, and even more as the unlikely guardian of his artistic output – longer than Schueler himself spent painting – Salvesen offers an intimate portrait of both a widow and art historian fiercely committed to her late husband’s creative memory. What emerges is an epic love story writ small across hundreds of canvases and thousands of pieces of archival grade paper.
Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, intimate interviews with Salvesen, and stunning cinematography of the Scottish landscapes that inspired both artist and guardian, viewers witness the often-invisible work of art preservation – from managing museum relationships to maintaining the artist's vision – as well as glimpsing the power these works have, not just as aesthetic objects, but as relics of a decades-long marriage and partnership.