Edward Biberman
Encyclopedia
Edward Biberman was an American artist active in the mid-twentieth century. His work ranged from stylised portrait
s to history-inspired mural
s, and drew on the emerging urban landscapes of southern California
, and on current events such as the Great Depression
, the Second World War, and labour unrest.
Diego Rivera
, David Alfaro Siqueiros
and José Clemente Orozco
; thanks to their influence, Biberman became a champion of public murals. In 1930, he was named one of the "46 Under 35" younger artists featured in a Museum of Modern Art
exhibition.
In 1931, he lived for the summer in a Navajo
settlement at Monument Valley
, where his work focused on both the Navajo people and on their desert surroundings. His experiences there inspired in him a love of the southwestern United States
, and he was soon to move there permanently. Following his arrival in Los Angeles in 1936, the city which would inspire some of his best-known work, he won two commissions for murals to decorate the Los Angeles Federal Building. When the building was remodelled in 1965, the murals were removed and placed in storage. Though initially popular for the clean lines and crisp colours of his work, his career never recovered from the blow it received when he, his wife, and other members of his circle were accused of being Communists. Despite these accusations, he lived in Los Angeles for the rest of his life.
Preceding Biberman's move to California, the artist became intrigued by the allure of the Southwest desert. In the early 1930s he acquainted himself with Georgia O’Keeffe and John Marin. Like O’Keeffe, Biberman painters modified realist painting by applying a modernist aesthetic. After moving to Los Angeles, Biberman became an essential part of the mid-century Los Angeles art scene. He often painted the figure as a way of addressing issues of race, immigration, labor, and ensuing social inequality around the world. His painting of "The Biafran Child' has become a symbol for the future of our children lest we mend our ways and is under consideration for a comerative stamp for the benefit of the homeless children of Haiti.
Biberman wrote two books about his paintings, The Best Untold and Time and Circumstance. From 1938 to 1950, he taught at the Art Center College of Design
in Pasadena
, and lectured widely on art subjects for the University Extension of UCLA. In the 1960s, Biberman hosted television programs on art, including Dialogues in Art from 1967–1968.
Biberman was married for 51 years to Sonja Dahl Biberman (1910–2007), an artist in her own right. His brother, Herbert Biberman
, was the screenwriter
and director
known for having been one of the Hollywood Ten. His great-nephew is Jeremy Strick, the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
. Edward Biberman died of cancer in 1986.
(1936), the San Francisco Art Association
(1937), the Golden Gate International Exposition
(1939), the California Art Club
(1943), and the Whitney Museum (1953). His never before seen painting entitled "The Biafrian Child" is under consideration as a stamp for the benefit of the homeless children of Haiti and is to be housed at the original Hospital Albert Schweitzer, at Lambaréné in Gabon, Africa. The donation is to remain un-maned.
His paintings are now to be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
, Philadelphia, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
. His life-size portraits of singer Lena Horne
and author Dashiell Hammett
form part of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Among his awards are the Lambert Fund Purchase Prize.
Portrait
thumb|250px|right|Portrait of [[Thomas Jefferson]] by [[Rembrandt Peale]], 1805. [[New-York Historical Society]].A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness,...
s to history-inspired mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s, and drew on the emerging urban landscapes of southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, and on current events such as the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the Second World War, and labour unrest.
Life and career
Biberman was born into a prosperous Philadelphia family of Russian Jewish immigrants, and studied economics at the Wharton School. His later studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, followed by three years in Paris, led to his decision to become a full time artist. He lived in New York City from 1929 to 1936, where he came into contact with the Mexican muralistsMexican Muralism
Mexican muralism is a Mexican art movement. The most important period of this movement took place primarily from the 1920s to the 1960s, though it exerted an influence on later generations of Mexican artists...
Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
, David Alfaro Siqueiros
David Alfaro Siqueiros
José David Alfaro Siqueiros was a social realist painter, known for his large murals in fresco that helped establish the Mexican Mural Renaissance, together with works by Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, and also a member of the Mexican Communist Party who participated in an...
and José Clemente Orozco
José Clemente Orozco
José Clemente Orozco was a Mexican social realist painter, who specialized in bold murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and others...
; thanks to their influence, Biberman became a champion of public murals. In 1930, he was named one of the "46 Under 35" younger artists featured in a Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
exhibition.
In 1931, he lived for the summer in a Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
settlement at Monument Valley
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching above the valley floor. It is located on the northern border of Arizona with southern Utah , near the Four Corners area...
, where his work focused on both the Navajo people and on their desert surroundings. His experiences there inspired in him a love of the southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, and he was soon to move there permanently. Following his arrival in Los Angeles in 1936, the city which would inspire some of his best-known work, he won two commissions for murals to decorate the Los Angeles Federal Building. When the building was remodelled in 1965, the murals were removed and placed in storage. Though initially popular for the clean lines and crisp colours of his work, his career never recovered from the blow it received when he, his wife, and other members of his circle were accused of being Communists. Despite these accusations, he lived in Los Angeles for the rest of his life.
Preceding Biberman's move to California, the artist became intrigued by the allure of the Southwest desert. In the early 1930s he acquainted himself with Georgia O’Keeffe and John Marin. Like O’Keeffe, Biberman painters modified realist painting by applying a modernist aesthetic. After moving to Los Angeles, Biberman became an essential part of the mid-century Los Angeles art scene. He often painted the figure as a way of addressing issues of race, immigration, labor, and ensuing social inequality around the world. His painting of "The Biafran Child' has become a symbol for the future of our children lest we mend our ways and is under consideration for a comerative stamp for the benefit of the homeless children of Haiti.
Biberman wrote two books about his paintings, The Best Untold and Time and Circumstance. From 1938 to 1950, he taught at the Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, and lectured widely on art subjects for the University Extension of UCLA. In the 1960s, Biberman hosted television programs on art, including Dialogues in Art from 1967–1968.
Biberman was married for 51 years to Sonja Dahl Biberman (1910–2007), an artist in her own right. His brother, Herbert Biberman
Herbert Biberman
Herbert J. Biberman , was an American screenwriter and film director. He may be best known for having been one of the Hollywood Ten as well as directing Salt of the Earth, a 1954 film about a zinc miners' strike in Grant County, New Mexico.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Joseph and...
, was the screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
known for having been one of the Hollywood Ten. His great-nephew is Jeremy Strick, the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles is a contemporary art museum with three locations in greater Los Angeles, California. The main branch is located on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, near Walt Disney Concert Hall...
. Edward Biberman died of cancer in 1986.
Exhibitions and awards
Over the course of his career, Biberman exhibited his works at more than 35 solo exhibitions in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, Paris, Berlin, and California. His works were also displayed at the American Artists' CongressAmerican Artists' Congress
The American Artists’ Congress was an organization founded in February 1936 as part of the popular front of the Communist Party USA as a vehicle for uniting graphic artists in projects helping to combat the spread of fascism...
(1936), the San Francisco Art Association
San Francisco Art Association
The San Francisco Art Association was an organization that promoted California artists, held art exhibitions, published a periodical, and established an art school. Over its lifetime, the association helped establish a Northern California regional flavor of California Tonalism as differentiated...
(1937), the Golden Gate International Exposition
Golden Gate International Exposition
The Golden Gate International Exposition , held at San Francisco, California's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair that celebrated, among other things, the city's two newly-built bridges. The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge was dedicated in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge was dedicated in 1937...
(1939), the California Art Club
California Art Club
The California Art Club , founded in 1909, is one of the oldest and most active arts organizations in California. It celebrated its centennial in the spring of 2010. The California Art Club originally evolved from the Painters Club of Los Angeles...
(1943), and the Whitney Museum (1953). His never before seen painting entitled "The Biafrian Child" is under consideration as a stamp for the benefit of the homeless children of Haiti and is to be housed at the original Hospital Albert Schweitzer, at Lambaréné in Gabon, Africa. The donation is to remain un-maned.
His paintings are now to be found in the permanent collections of the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1805 and is the oldest art museum and school in the United States. The academy's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th and 20th century American paintings,...
, Philadelphia, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. His life-size portraits of singer Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
and author Dashiell Hammett
Dashiell Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories, and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade , Nick and Nora Charles , and the Continental Op .In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on...
form part of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. Among his awards are the Lambert Fund Purchase Prize.
External links
- Edward Biberman Biography
- DVD of Documentary about Edward Biberman: Brush with Life: The Art of Being Edward Biberman
- Brush with Life: The Art of Being Edward Biberman on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Locations of Biberman's works
- Sonja and Edward (Interview with Biberman's wife)
- Edward Biberman papers, 1929-1985 from the Smithsonian Archives of American ArtArchives of American ArtThe Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 16 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washington, D.C...
- Oral history interview with Edward Biberman, 1964 Apr. 15 also from the Archives of American Art