Rico Lebrun
Encyclopedia
Rico Lebrun (December 10, 1900 – May 9, 1964) was an Italy-born, Italian-American painter
and sculptor.
, he maintained a lifelong affinity for Goya and Picasso.
Lebrun immigrated to the United States in 1924 to design stained glass in Springfield, Illinois
. The next year the artist settled in New York, where he built a successful commercial art practice as a fashion illustrator and advertising artist. By 1930, Lebrun was prosperous, but dissatisfied. He abandoned his business and entered the field of fine arts. After a move to Southern California in 1938, Lebrun taught at the Chouinard Art Institute
and then at the Disney Studios, working with animators on the figure of Bambi
for the forthcoming feature film.
In 1935 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship
for his first mural project; in 1942, he exhibited in "Americans 1942" at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. His work appeared in group exhibitions at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art
and the Metropolitan Museum.
In 1947, Lebrun became master instructor at the new Jepson Art Institute
in Los Angeles
. He was a charismatic and popular teacher, frequently lecturing to standing room only crowds. From 1947 to 1950, his style becoming increasingly abstract and gestural, Lebrun also worked on his ambitious Crucifixion cycle, now in the Syracuse University
collection. By the end of the decade Lebrun had garnered a considerable reputation on the West Coast, both as an artist and as a teacher. Lebrun was very influential on other artists of the time such as Howard Warshaw, Leonard Baskin
, and Morton Traylor
.
In 1952, the artist left Southern California for Mexico, where he taught at the Institute of San Miguel de Allende. After briefly experimenting with formal abstraction there, Lebrun returned to Los Angeles in 1954 and resumed his prior interest in the human figure, beginning a series of drawings and paintings to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust. He continued to teach, with his students at this time including John Baldessari
, whom Lebrun encouraged in 1957 to consider a career as an artist. In 1958, Lebrun taught at Yale
and the next year served as an artist in residence in Rome. When he returned to Southern California in 1960, he began working on the Genesis mural at Pomona College
. Lebrun then worked on a smaller scale after the mural's dedication in 1961, making drawings and prints for Dante's Inferno. Becoming ill with cancer in 1963, Rico Lebrun died on May 9 the following year at his home in Malibu.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and sculptor.
Biography
Lebrun was born on December 10, 1900 in Naples, Italy. His formal art education consisted of attending technical school and art classes at night, studying the Old Masters in museums, and assisting fresco painters. He was profoundly influenced by both Italian and Spanish art, Naples having been ruled by Spain almost continuously from the mid-16th to the late 18th century. His admiration for fresco tradition, his preference for ambitious subjects addressed on a grand scale, and the baroque sweep of his style all reflect the heritage of Italian art; his high seriousness of purpose, as well as a certain preoccupation with tragedy and death, can be attributed to the influence of Spain. Alongside the always-powerful influence of MichelangeloMichelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, he maintained a lifelong affinity for Goya and Picasso.
Lebrun immigrated to the United States in 1924 to design stained glass in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
. The next year the artist settled in New York, where he built a successful commercial art practice as a fashion illustrator and advertising artist. By 1930, Lebrun was prosperous, but dissatisfied. He abandoned his business and entered the field of fine arts. After a move to Southern California in 1938, Lebrun taught at the Chouinard Art Institute
Chouinard Art Institute
The Chouinard Art Institute was a professional art school founded in 1921 in Los Angeles, California, by Nelbert Murphy Chouinard .-Founder:...
and then at the Disney Studios, working with animators on the figure of Bambi
Bambi
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
for the forthcoming feature film.
In 1935 he received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
for his first mural project; in 1942, he exhibited in "Americans 1942" at the 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...
in New York. His work appeared in group exhibitions at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
and the Metropolitan Museum.
In 1947, Lebrun became master instructor at the new Jepson Art Institute
Jepson Art Institute
Jepson Art Institute, founded in Los Angeles in 1945 by artist Herbert Jepson, was an art school located at 2861 West 7th Street that flourished from 1947 to 1953 - becoming an important center for experimental figure drawing, art theory and printmaking. Prior to this, Jepson served as an...
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...
. He was a charismatic and popular teacher, frequently lecturing to standing room only crowds. From 1947 to 1950, his style becoming increasingly abstract and gestural, Lebrun also worked on his ambitious Crucifixion cycle, now in the Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
collection. By the end of the decade Lebrun had garnered a considerable reputation on the West Coast, both as an artist and as a teacher. Lebrun was very influential on other artists of the time such as Howard Warshaw, Leonard Baskin
Leonard Baskin
Leonard Baskin was an American sculptor, book-illustrator, wood-engraver, printmaker, graphic artist, writer and teacher.-Life and work:...
, and Morton Traylor
Morton Traylor
Morton Patrick Traylor was an American fine artist, designer, serigrapher and founder of the Virginia Art Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia.-Biography:...
.
In 1952, the artist left Southern California for Mexico, where he taught at the Institute of San Miguel de Allende. After briefly experimenting with formal abstraction there, Lebrun returned to Los Angeles in 1954 and resumed his prior interest in the human figure, beginning a series of drawings and paintings to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust. He continued to teach, with his students at this time including John Baldessari
John Baldessari
John Anthony Baldessari is an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images. He lives and works in Santa Monica and Venice, California...
, whom Lebrun encouraged in 1957 to consider a career as an artist. In 1958, Lebrun taught at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
and the next year served as an artist in residence in Rome. When he returned to Southern California in 1960, he began working on the Genesis mural at Pomona College
Pomona College
Pomona College is a private, residential, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. Founded in 1887 in Pomona, California by a group of Congregationalists, the college moved to Claremont in 1889 to the site of a hotel, retaining its name. The school enrolls 1,548 students.The founding member...
. Lebrun then worked on a smaller scale after the mural's dedication in 1961, making drawings and prints for Dante's Inferno. Becoming ill with cancer in 1963, Rico Lebrun died on May 9 the following year at his home in Malibu.
Awards
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1936–37)
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1937–38)
- First Prize, "Abstract & Surrealist American Art", The Art Institute of Chicago (1947)
- Norman Wait HarrisNorman Wait HarrisNorman Wait Harris was an American banker. He founded Chicago-based N.W. Harris & Co., the predecessor of Harris Bank as well as its affiliate Harris, Forbes & Co. and later Harris, Hall & Co.-Biography:...
Silver Medal, The Art Institute of Chicago (1947) - First Prize, "Artists of Los Angeles & Vicinity", Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1948)
- Purchase Prize, "Illinois National Exhibition of Contemporary Painting", University of Illinois (1949)
- Second Prize, "American Painting Today", The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1950)
- Award of Merit of the American Academy of Arts & Letter for "Outstanding achievement in the past five years in paintings" (1953)
- Temple Gold Medal, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1953)
- Lippincott Prize, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1962)
- Purchase Award, "Third Biennial National Print Exhibit", Pasadena Art Museum (1962)
- Joseph Pennell Award, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1963)
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1962–63)