Lela Autio (April 12, 1927 – January 23, 2016) was a modernist painter and sculptor from Great Falls, Montana, notable as a co-founder of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana, and of the Missoula Art Museum Following her mother's death when she was 3 years old, Autio was raised by her father along with two sisters and one brother.
Autio created abstract soft sculpture works before any artist in the country gained wide recognition in the medium, making her an innovative figure in the field.
Over her life she created objects, usually wall hangings, and sculptural assemblages made from fabric, plexiglas, mylar, and plastic.
Autio also created a number of paintings early in her career of landscapes and individuals from her community of Montana artists.
Her husband Rudy Autio also credited her with his introduction to Matisse, which would influence the three dimensional decor he added to his ceramic vessels.
[1] Her work was exhibited in many shows, including a faculty exchange of the University of Montana with the People's Republic of China in Hangzhou in 1983, Montana Current Ideas, the Yellowstone Art Center, 1986, Judy Chicago/Lela Autio, Paris Gibson Square, Great Falls, 1987, The Manipulated Thread at the Missoula Museum of the Arts, 1988 and the Missoula Artists' Exchange Exhibition in Oaxaca, Mexico, 1989.
[1] Lela and Rudy Autio, along with Peter Voulkos, helped found the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.
She also contributed to the transformation of the Archie Bray from a brickyard to a ceramics art center with an international reputation before moving to Missoula in 1957.
[10] According to ceramicist Joshua DeWeese, “Lela has played an important role in the development of the contemporary art scene in Montana.