Oscar Florianus Bluemner
Encyclopedia
Oscar Bluemner born as Friedrich Julius Oskar Blümner and since 1933, known as Oscar Florianus Bluemner, was a German
-born American Modernist
painter.
, Germany
on June 21, 1867.
in 1893 where he freelanced as a draftsman at the World's Columbian Exposition
. After the exposition, he attempted to find work in Chicago. In 1901, Bluemner relocated to New York City
where he also could not find steady employment. In 1903, he created the winning design for the Bronx Borough Courthouse in New York.
, who introduced him to the artistic innovations of the European and American avant-garde. By 1910, Bluemner had decided to pursue painting full-time rather than architecture.
He exhibited in the 1913 Armory Show
. Then in 1915 Stieglitz gave him a solo exhibition at his gallery, 291
. Despite participating in several exhibitions, including solo shows, for the next ten years Bluemner failed to sell many paintings and lived with his family in near-poverty.
holds more than 1,000 pieces of Oscar Bluemner's work bequeathed in 1997 by his daughter, Vera Bluemner Kouba. Often overlooked in his lifetime, Bluemner now is widely acknowledged as a key player in the creation of American artistic Modernism, with better-known colleagues such as Georgia O'Keeffe and John Marin.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born American Modernist
American modernism
American modernism like modernism in general is a trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their environment, with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology and practical experimentation, and is thus in its essence both progressive and optimistic...
painter.
Early life
Bluemner was born as Friedrich Julius Oskar Blümner in PrenzlauPrenzlau
Prenzlau , a city in the Uckermark District of Brandenburg in Germany, had a population of about 21,000 in 2005.-International relations:Prenzlau is twinned with: Uster, Switzerland Barlinek, Poland Świdwin, Poland...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on June 21, 1867.
Architecture
Bluemner moved to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1893 where he freelanced as a draftsman at the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. After the exposition, he attempted to find work in Chicago. In 1901, Bluemner relocated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he also could not find steady employment. In 1903, he created the winning design for the Bronx Borough Courthouse in New York.
Painting
In 1908 he met Alfred StieglitzAlfred Stieglitz
Alfred Stieglitz was an American photographer and modern art promoter who was instrumental over his fifty-year career in making photography an accepted art form...
, who introduced him to the artistic innovations of the European and American avant-garde. By 1910, Bluemner had decided to pursue painting full-time rather than architecture.
He exhibited in the 1913 Armory Show
Armory Show
Many exhibitions have been held in the vast spaces of U.S. National Guard armories, but the Armory Show refers to the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art that was organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors...
. Then in 1915 Stieglitz gave him a solo exhibition at his gallery, 291
Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession
291 is the commonly known name for an internationally famous art gallery that was located at 291 Fifth Avenue in New York City from 1905 to 1917. Originally known as the "Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession", the gallery was created and managed by photographer Alfred Stieglitz.The gallery is...
. Despite participating in several exhibitions, including solo shows, for the next ten years Bluemner failed to sell many paintings and lived with his family in near-poverty.
Later life
After his wife’s death in 1926, Bluemner moved to South Braintree, Massachusetts. He committed suicide on January 12, 1938.Legacy
Stetson UniversityStetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I-4 corridor in Central Florida. The primary undergraduate campus is located in DeLand, Florida, USA. In the 2012 U.S...
holds more than 1,000 pieces of Oscar Bluemner's work bequeathed in 1997 by his daughter, Vera Bluemner Kouba. Often overlooked in his lifetime, Bluemner now is widely acknowledged as a key player in the creation of American artistic Modernism, with better-known colleagues such as Georgia O'Keeffe and John Marin.
Further reading
- http://siris-libraries.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1311YQ01J6410.8664&profile=liball&source=~!silibraries&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!777698~!8&ri=7&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=Oscar+Bluemner&index=GW&uindex=&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ri=7&limitbox_2=LO01+=+aapgHaskell, Barbara. Oscar Bluemner: A Passion for Color. New York: Whitney Museum of American Art (2005).]
- http://siris-libraries.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1311YQ01J6410.8664&profile=liball&source=~!silibraries&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!419072~!11&ri=7&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=Oscar+Bluemner&index=GW&uindex=&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ri=7&limitbox_2=LO01+=+aapgHayes, Jeffrey Russell. Oscar Bluemner. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1991).]
External links
- The Oscar Bluemner Papers Online includes digitized primary source biographical material, correspondence, diaries, writings, exhibition catalogs, and other printed material held by the 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...
, Smithsonian Institution. - Oscar Florianus Bluemner Biography - Hollis Taggart Galleries
- The Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection - Stetson University