Born Vera Klementovna Shapiro in
Danzig, Klement graduated from
Cooper Union in 1950. She taught at University of Chicago, from 1969 to 1995.[3]
In 1973, Klement was a founding member of
Artemisia Gallery, one of the Midwest's first feminist Cooperative Galleries located in Chicago, Illinois.[4]
Her work is in the collection of the state of
Illinois,[8] The Kentucky Center for the Arts,[9] and the Krannert Art Museum.[10]
Personal life
Klement lived in
Chicago. She was married first to Israeli violinist
Werner Torkanowsky and later to composer and conductor
Ralph Shapey, but both marriages ended in divorce.[1]
Klement died on October 20, 2023, of complications from cancer and COVID-19.[1]