Eugene Goossen
Encyclopedia
Eugene C. Goossen was an American art critic and art historian who organized more than 60 art exhibitions, wrote essays for catalogues in addition to books on the subject. He was on the faculty of Hunter College
, where he headed the art department.
Goossen was born in 1921 in Gloversville, New York
. He attended Hamilton College, the Corcoran School of Fine Arts
, the Sorbonne
and earned his undergraduate degree at the New School for Social Research
, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He was the art and theater critic for The Monterrey Peninsula and Herald. He moved to Bennington College
in 1958, where he also served as director of exhibitions. He was hired by Hunter College in 1961 and also taught at the CUNY Graduate Center
.
Goossen was responsible for organizing dozens of art exhibitions at galleries and museums around the United States. He oversaw a 1969 retrospective of works by Helen Frankenthaler
at the Whitney Museum of American Art
and those by Ellsworth Kelly
in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art
. In addition to essays in catalogues, Goossen's wrote several art books, including The Art of the Real, Stuart Davis and Ellsworth Kelly. In a review of the 1968 exhibition Art of the Real he organized as guest director at the Museum of Modern Art
, John Canaday
of The New York Times
said that Goossen's essay about the exhibit was "probably the clearest definition yet of the goals and justification of a school of art that is usually written about with maximum pretentiousness". Goossen saw works by the abstract painter Doug Ohlson
as depicting "yellowish pink and green dawns, blue noons, and red-orange sunsets that swiftly slide from purple to black".
The New York Times called Goossen "the leading expert" on the work of the visual sculptor Tony Smith
. Goossen called Smith "the most important sculptor to appear in the second half of the 20th century" whose importance was not fully appreciated at the time but would be as the years passed. He was recognized as a Guggenheim Fellow in 1971 and was the recipient of the Critics' Award in 1975 from the National Endowment for the Arts
.
A resident of Buskirk, New York, Goossen died at age 76 on July 15, 1997, at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
in Bennington, Vermont. The cause of death was pneumonia
, which he suffered after a long illness. He was survived by his wife, Patricia Johanson
, an environmental sculptor best known for her large-scale art projects that create habitats for humans, as well as by two children from his first marriage and three sons from his second.
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
, where he headed the art department.
Goossen was born in 1921 in Gloversville, New York
Gloversville, New York
Gloversville is a city in Fulton County, New York, that was once the hub of America's glovemaking industry with over two hundred manufacturers in Gloversville and Johnstown. In 2000, Gloversville had a population of 15,413. Ten years later, the population had increased to 15,665- History :The...
. He attended Hamilton College, the Corcoran School of Fine Arts
Corcoran College of Art and Design
The Corcoran College of Art and Design, , founded in 1890, is the only professional college of art and design in Washington, DC, located in the Downtown area. The school is a private institution in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art.The Corcoran Gallery of Art is Washington's first and...
, the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and earned his undergraduate degree at the New School for Social Research
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
, where he earned a bachelor's degree. He was the art and theater critic for The Monterrey Peninsula and Herald. He moved to Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
in 1958, where he also served as director of exhibitions. He was hired by Hunter College in 1961 and also taught at the CUNY Graduate Center
CUNY Graduate Center
The Graduate Center of the City University of New York brings together graduate education, advanced research, and public programming to midtown Manhattan hosting 4,600 students, 33 doctoral programs, 7 master's programs, and 30 research centers and institutes...
.
Goossen was responsible for organizing dozens of art exhibitions at galleries and museums around the United States. He oversaw a 1969 retrospective of works by Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler
Helen Frankenthaler is an American abstract expressionist painter. She is a major contributor to the history of postwar American painting. Having exhibited her work in six decades she has spanned several generations of abstract painters while continuing to produce vital and ever-changing new work...
at the 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 those by Ellsworth Kelly
Ellsworth Kelly
Ellsworth Kelly is an American painter and sculptor associated with Hard-edge painting, Color Field painting and the Minimalist school. His works demonstrate unassuming techniques emphasizing the simplicity of form found similar to the work of John McLaughlin. Kelly often employs bright colors to...
in an exhibition 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 addition to essays in catalogues, Goossen's wrote several art books, including The Art of the Real, Stuart Davis and Ellsworth Kelly. In a review of the 1968 exhibition Art of the Real he organized as guest director 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...
, John Canaday
John Canaday
John Edwin Canaday was a leading American art critic, author and art historian.-Early life:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said that Goossen's essay about the exhibit was "probably the clearest definition yet of the goals and justification of a school of art that is usually written about with maximum pretentiousness". Goossen saw works by the abstract painter Doug Ohlson
Doug Ohlson
Douglas Dean Ohlson was an American abstract artist who specialized in geometric patterns.Ohlson was born on November 18, 1936, in Cherokee, Iowa and attended Bethel College before serving in the United States Marine Corps...
as depicting "yellowish pink and green dawns, blue noons, and red-orange sunsets that swiftly slide from purple to black".
The New York Times called Goossen "the leading expert" on the work of the visual sculptor Tony Smith
Tony Smith (sculptor)
Tony Smith was an American sculptor, visual artist, architectural designer, and a noted theorist on art. He is often cited as a pioneering figure in American Minimalist sculpture.-Education:...
. Goossen called Smith "the most important sculptor to appear in the second half of the 20th century" whose importance was not fully appreciated at the time but would be as the years passed. He was recognized as a Guggenheim Fellow in 1971 and was the recipient of the Critics' Award in 1975 from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
.
A resident of Buskirk, New York, Goossen died at age 76 on July 15, 1997, at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center is a non-profit general medical surgical hospital located in Bennington, Vermont. It is licensed for 99-beds. Founded in the early 20th Century by donations from Henry W. Putnam and his son, SVMC is the only hospital in Bennington County, Vermont...
in Bennington, Vermont. The cause of death was pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, which he suffered after a long illness. He was survived by his wife, Patricia Johanson
Patricia Johanson
Patricia Johanson Patricia Johanson is known for her large-scale art projects that create aesthetic and practical habitats for humans and wildlife...
, an environmental sculptor best known for her large-scale art projects that create habitats for humans, as well as by two children from his first marriage and three sons from his second.