Bernece Berkman
Bernece Berkman | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 6, 1911 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | 1988 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) |
| Known for | Painter, graphic artist, designer, screenprinter, lithographer, teacher |
| Movement | Regionalism |
Bernece Berkman (1911–1988), known as Bernece Berkman-Hunter after marriage, was an American painter born in Chicago, Illinois. She was inspired by what she saw in urban Chicago during the Great Depression and is best known for paintings depicting the plight of industrial workers and the poor.[1]
Life and career
She took evening sketching classes in Todros Geller's studio and studied oil painting with Geller. Rudolph Weisenborn was another early influence. Working with both of these artists Berkman was introduced to Cubism and Expressionism and her work became more political in nature. She also studied briefly in New York at Hunter College and at The New School for Social Research under Stuart Davis.[1]
In 1934 Berkman's work was exhibited for the first time in a group show of Jewish artists at the Palmer House in Chicago.[2] In 1939 she exhibited a painting at the New York World’s Fair.
She married Oscar H. Hunter, an African-American writer, in 1946. Together they founded a wallpaper company, Berk-Hunter Associates, in 1949. They divorced in 1976.[2]
In 1972 she traveled to France and Italy. Her travel diary is housed at the Library of Congress.[3]
She was an active member of the artist community in Chicago and New York and belonged to the Chicago Society of Artists and the Chicago Women's Salon.
Exhibitions
- American Artists Congress, 1937
- Denver Art Museum, 1938
- Springfield (MA) Museum of Fine Art
- WPA Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, 1938
- New York World's Fair, 1939
- International Water Color Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago, 1940
- Chicago and Vicinity Exhibit, Art Institute of Chicago, 1940–41
- After the Great Crash: New Deal Art in Illinois, Illinois State Museum, Springfield (IL), 1983
Selected works
- Jews in Flight (1939)
- Untitled, Man in the City (1943)
Collections
- The Art Institute of Chicago[4]
- Carnegie Museum of Art[5]
- Evansville State Hospital[6]
- Bernard Friedman Collection[7]
- Seattle Art Museum[8]
- University of Iowa[5]
- University of Michigan[5]
- University of Nebraska, Omaha[5]
References
- ^ a b Stearns, Robert (2000). Illusions of Eden: Visions of the American Heartland. Minneapolis, MN: Arts Midwest. p. 252. ISBN 0918881404.
- ^ a b Weininger, Susan. "Bernece Berkman". Modernism in the City: Chicago Artists 1920-1950. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ Friend, Melinda K. "Bernece Berkman-Hunter Papers: A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress". Library of Congress. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Collections". Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ a b c d Stearns, Robert (2000). Illusions of Eden: Visions of the American Heartland. Minneapolis, MN: Arts Midwest. p. 253. ISBN 0918881404.
- ^ "Bernece BERKMAN-HUNTER (1911-1988)". artprice. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Bernece Berkman". Illinois Women Artists Project.
- ^ "OH, BUT THERE WERE THREE WISE MEN". Seattle Art Museum.
External links
- Bernece Berkman-Hunter papers, 1910-1991, Library of Congress
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1911 births
- 1988 deaths
- Painters from New York (state)
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni
- 1939 New York World's Fair artists
- Artists from Chicago
- Painters from Illinois
- Hunter College alumni
- The New School alumni
- American women painters
- 20th-century American painters
- 20th-century American women artists