Brian Rutenberg
Encyclopedia
Brian Christopher Rutenberg (born September 18, 1965 in Myrtle Beach, SC), is an American
abstract painter.
Rutenberg received his BFA from the College of Charleston
in 1987 and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts
in New York City in 1989. He currently lives and works in New York City with his wife Kathryn and two children.
He attended private school at Myrtle Beach’s Coastal Academy from 1974 through 1983. After demonstrating a long term interest in drawing
, Rutenberg began afterschool watercolor classes, and conducted his own experiments with acrylic paints. In 1983 Rutenberg began his studies at the College of Charleston, where he met and studied under abstract painter William Halsey. Also during College, Rutenberg took classes with British Abstract painter Michael Tyzack, who became his faculty advisor and close friend.
In 1986 Rutenberg listened for the first time to Glenn Gould’s 1981 second recording of J.S. Bach’s
Goldberg Variations, which launched the artist’s deep and lasting interest in the late Canadian pianist’s music and philosophy. Rutenberg graduated with honors from College of Charleston in 1987 and moved to New York, where he entered the M.F.A. Program at the School of Visual Arts, New York.
who helped bring the artist's work to a wider audience. In 1989 Francis Marion University Art Gallery in Florence, South Carolina presented the artist's first solo exhibition. Rutenberg was awarded the Basil H. Alkazzi Award [USA] in 1991, which enabled him to study in Rome, Bologna and Venice, Italy for three weeks where he studied the works of Annibale Carracci
, Bernini and Tiepolo
. Inspired by 17th and 18th Century Italian ceiling paintings and the Villa d’Este near Rome
, Rutenberg began his River Paintings series.
In 1992 Rutenberg was awarded a year-long Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Grant. One year later, the artist had his first New York solo exhibition, River Paintings, at. During the same year the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, South Carolina organized Rutenberg’s first museum exhibition.
In 1994, Rutenberg started to take trips to Toronto and Ottawa, Canada to closely study Glenn Gould
’s life and career. He traveled to Canada annually for this purpose until 2002. Inspired by Gould and his music, Rutenberg enrolled in music history classes at New York’s Juilliard School
. During one of his trips to Canada Rutenberg discovered and became intrigued with the work of Canada’s Group of Seven
painters.
In 1997 Rutenberg received a Fulbright Fellowship which afforded him the opportunity to spend a year in Ireland
. While in Ireland, Rutenberg was honored with studio space at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
, Dublin. He lectured at universities and art schools around Ireland. During his travels around Ireland, the artist’s work became shaped by Celtic Culture
, specifically the La Tene Period, 600-400 BC.
Rutenberg had his first solo exhibition with Forum Gallery in Los Angeles
in 2000. Forum Gallery, New York became Rutenberg’s primary representative.
2001 The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio created the solo exhibition: Brian Rutenberg: A Ten-Year Survey.
2006 The South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC, organized a major retrospective about Rutenberg, Brimming Tides: Paintings and Drawings by Brian Rutenberg.
2009 The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC organized Brian Rutenberg: Tidesong,
Radius Books publishes the artist's monograph Brian Rutenberg, featuring written contributions from Martica Sawin and artist Gregory Amenoff.
2011 Rutenberg's work will be the subject of an exhibition at the Burroughs-Chapin Museum of Art, Myrtle Beach, SC.
2002Spring Island Trust Award
2000Peter S. Reed Foundation Award
Sea Island Trust Visiting Artist
1997Fulbright Scholarship
Artists Work Programme Studio Grant, Irish Museum of Modern Art
1993Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation
1991The Basil H. Alkazzi Award (USA)
Ragdale Foundation Fellowship
1988MFA Scholarship Award, School of Visual Arts
1987Laura Bragg Memorial Award
, wire
, masking tape
, and were fashioned into shaped three dimensional paintings and environments. From 1990 to 1995 he experimented with puncturing the picture plane with various sized holes in homage to the paintings of Lucio Fontana
. Rutenberg is known for his liberal use of oil paint, sometimes up to three inches thick, and believes that a painting must address the physical presence of the viewer first.
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC
College of Charleston Foundation, SC
Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC
Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN
Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA
Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL
Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, NY
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC
Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
abstract painter.
Rutenberg received his BFA from the College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
in 1987 and his MFA from the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
in New York City in 1989. He currently lives and works in New York City with his wife Kathryn and two children.
Early life
Brian Rutenberg was born on September 18 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the first of three sons, to John and Sandra Rutenberg.He attended private school at Myrtle Beach’s Coastal Academy from 1974 through 1983. After demonstrating a long term interest in drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, Rutenberg began afterschool watercolor classes, and conducted his own experiments with acrylic paints. In 1983 Rutenberg began his studies at the College of Charleston, where he met and studied under abstract painter William Halsey. Also during College, Rutenberg took classes with British Abstract painter Michael Tyzack, who became his faculty advisor and close friend.
In 1986 Rutenberg listened for the first time to Glenn Gould’s 1981 second recording of J.S. Bach’s
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
Goldberg Variations, which launched the artist’s deep and lasting interest in the late Canadian pianist’s music and philosophy. Rutenberg graduated with honors from College of Charleston in 1987 and moved to New York, where he entered the M.F.A. Program at the School of Visual Arts, New York.
Career
In 1987 he met painters Gregory Amenoff and Darby Bannard who became important inspirations. He also met sculptor and collector John RaimondiJohn Raimondi
John Raimondi is a sculptor and creator of public sculpture on a monumental scale, with works in more than thirty states and several European countries.-Overview:John Raimondi - creator of monuments, interpreter of life...
who helped bring the artist's work to a wider audience. In 1989 Francis Marion University Art Gallery in Florence, South Carolina presented the artist's first solo exhibition. Rutenberg was awarded the Basil H. Alkazzi Award [USA] in 1991, which enabled him to study in Rome, Bologna and Venice, Italy for three weeks where he studied the works of Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci
Annibale Carracci was an Italian Baroque painter.-Early career:Annibale Carracci was born in Bologna, and in all likelihood first apprenticed within his family...
, Bernini and Tiepolo
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo , also known as Gianbattista or Giambattista Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice...
. Inspired by 17th and 18th Century Italian ceiling paintings and the Villa d’Este near Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Rutenberg began his River Paintings series.
In 1992 Rutenberg was awarded a year-long Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Grant. One year later, the artist had his first New York solo exhibition, River Paintings, at. During the same year the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, South Carolina organized Rutenberg’s first museum exhibition.
In 1994, Rutenberg started to take trips to Toronto and Ottawa, Canada to closely study Glenn Gould
Glenn Gould
Glenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach...
’s life and career. He traveled to Canada annually for this purpose until 2002. Inspired by Gould and his music, Rutenberg enrolled in music history classes at New York’s Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
. During one of his trips to Canada Rutenberg discovered and became intrigued with the work of Canada’s Group of Seven
Group of Seven
Group of Seven can refer to:*G7 - the "Group of seven" industrially advanced nations .*Group of Seven - a group of Canadian landscape artists....
painters.
In 1997 Rutenberg received a Fulbright Fellowship which afforded him the opportunity to spend a year in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. While in Ireland, Rutenberg was honored with studio space at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Irish Museum of Modern Art
The Irish Museum of Modern Art also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution exhibiting and collecting modern and contemporary art. The museum opened in May 1991 and is located in Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a 17th-century building near Heuston Station to the west of Dublin's city...
, Dublin. He lectured at universities and art schools around Ireland. During his travels around Ireland, the artist’s work became shaped by Celtic Culture
Celtic culture
Culture of Celtic Europe and modern Celtic identity*Ancient Celtic culture*Celtic music**Insular art*Celtic music*Gaelic culture**Culture of Ireland**Culture of Scotland**Culture of the Isle of Man*Culture of Wales*Culture of Cornwall*Culture of Brittany...
, specifically the La Tene Period, 600-400 BC.
Rutenberg had his first solo exhibition with Forum Gallery in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 2000. Forum Gallery, New York became Rutenberg’s primary representative.
Major Exhibitions
1993 The Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, South Carolina organized the artist's first museum exhibition.2001 The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio created the solo exhibition: Brian Rutenberg: A Ten-Year Survey.
2006 The South Carolina State Museum in Columbia, SC, organized a major retrospective about Rutenberg, Brimming Tides: Paintings and Drawings by Brian Rutenberg.
2009 The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, SC organized Brian Rutenberg: Tidesong,
Radius Books publishes the artist's monograph Brian Rutenberg, featuring written contributions from Martica Sawin and artist Gregory Amenoff.
2011 Rutenberg's work will be the subject of an exhibition at the Burroughs-Chapin Museum of Art, Myrtle Beach, SC.
Awards
2004Fellowship in Painting, New York Foundation for the Arts2002Spring Island Trust Award
2000Peter S. Reed Foundation Award
Sea Island Trust Visiting Artist
1997Fulbright Scholarship
Artists Work Programme Studio Grant, Irish Museum of Modern Art
1993Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation
1991The Basil H. Alkazzi Award (USA)
Ragdale Foundation Fellowship
1988MFA Scholarship Award, School of Visual Arts
1987Laura Bragg Memorial Award
Technique
Rutenberg has long placed primary importance on surface and material. His works from 1983-1989 included non traditional materials like cardboardCardboard
Corrugated fiberboard is a paper-based material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards. It is widely used in the manufacture of corrugated boxes and shipping containers....
, wire
Wire
A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Standard sizes are determined by various...
, masking tape
Masking tape
Masking tape is a type of pressure sensitive tape made of a thin and easy-to-tear paper, and an easily released pressure sensitive adhesive. It is available in a variety of widths. It is used mainly in painting, to mask off areas that should not be painted...
, and were fashioned into shaped three dimensional paintings and environments. From 1990 to 1995 he experimented with puncturing the picture plane with various sized holes in homage to the paintings of Lucio Fontana
Lucio Fontana
Lucio Fontana was an Italian painter, sculptor and theorist of Argentine birth. He was mostly known as the founder of Spatialism and his ties to Arte Povera.-Early life:...
. Rutenberg is known for his liberal use of oil paint, sometimes up to three inches thick, and believes that a painting must address the physical presence of the viewer first.
Selected Collections
Art Museum of Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, SCButler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH
Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, NC
College of Charleston Foundation, SC
Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC
Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, SC
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN
Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA
Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL
Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor, NY
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA
Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA
South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, SC
Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT
Selected Bibliography
- Baker, Kevin. “Brian Rutenberg is on a brave quest for freedom in color”(review). ‘’San Francisco Chronicle’’, February 11, 2006. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/02/11/DDGVLH5Q3C1.DTL
- Bendin, Dariel. “ Local Boy Makes Good.” ‘’ Myrtle Beach Alternatives’’, February 27, 2009. http://www.myrtlebeachalternatives.com/social-events/south-carolina-events/local-boy-makes-good
- Brownfield, Paul. “Gould variations.” ‘’’Sun News (Myrtle Beach, SC), January 5, 1997.
- Day, Jeffrey. “Going with the Flow” (review). ‘’The State’’ (Columbia, SC). January 17, 1993.
- De Santis, Solange. “A Glenn Gould Gathering.”’’ The Wall Street Journal,’’ (October 7, 1999.)
- Drake, Nicholas. “Rutenberg’s Imagination Soars with Oil and Canvas.” “”The Post and Courier,’’ (South Carolina), March 21, 1996.
- Ebony, David. (review). ‘’Art in America,’’ May 1994.
- Johnson, Ken. “For a Broad Landscape, an Equally Wide Survey.” ‘’The New York Times,’’ May 31, 2006. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/arts/dance/31acad.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=brian+rutenberg&st=nyt
- Lang, Sandy. “MB Artist wins Alkazzi Award.” ‘’The Sun News,’’ December 21, 1991.
- Lucas, Scott. “Lush, Lusty Landscapes.” ‘’Creative Loafing Magazine’’ 2003.
- Melrod, George. “Abstract Visions.” ‘’Art & Antique’s’’, November 1996.
- Sawin, Martica. "Brian Rutenberg" Preface by Gregory Amenoff, Introduction by Walter Darby Bannard. Radius Books. 2009 ISBN 978193435090
- Smith, Nick. “For painter Brian Rutenberg, the waiting isn't the hardest part: The Prince of Tides.” ‘’Charleston City Paper’’, November 9, 2009. http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/for-painter-brian-rutenberg-the-waiting-isnt-the-hardest-part/Content?oid=1507027
- Sozanksi, Edward J. “Uncommon Dignity for Common People.” ‘’The Philadelphia Inquirer,’’ February 18, 2000.