Robert Bero
Encyclopedia
Robert Bero was an American artist and print maker who won critical acclaim for his detailed depictions of trees and landscapes. Best known for his etching
s and woodcut
s, Bero also worked in pen and ink, crayon, pastel, pencil, water color
and collage.
and attended Poly Prep Country Day School
, graduating in 1959. He earned a BFA from the Pratt Institute
in Fine Arts
(Highest Honors) and an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University
, where he served as an assistant to etching professor Gabor Peterdi
.
Bero began his teaching career at the State University of New York at Potsdam
, where he worked as an Assistant Professor
from 1967 until 1973. He then joined the faculty of Brown University
as an Assistant Professor. From 1974 until 1982 he was Assistant Professor at Ramapo College's School of Contemporary Arts, serving as Chairperson from 1978 until 1980. From 2001 onwards, he was an Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Purchase
.
, Cornell University
, Yale University, the Museum of Fine Arts, Cincinnati, and at the Society of American Graphic Artists. His art has received numerous awards and grants, including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, a Fulbright Grant, the Benicke Grant and Purchase Prizes from the Library of Congress. Some of his best known pieces include First Snow, Small Poplar, and Large Poplar.
D. Dominick Lombardi of the New York Times
, reviewing Bero’s exhibition at Dobbs Ferry’s Hudson River Gallery, wrote that: “… Robert Bero expands the visual language
of a familiar genre. In Mr. Bero’s case, it is the landscape. Using a multitude of mediums including woodcut, conte crayon
and watercolor he renders the intricacies of the natural world in a very intense way. Dancing leaves, flitting snowflakes, twisting tree limbs—everything one notices when looking carefully and systematically at nature can be found here. Most impressive are two works: 'Winter Woods Tuxedo Park,' and an untitled watercolor, pastel and conte crayon work…As part of the exhibition, the handmade laminated birch wood plate, his wooden baren used in place of a press, and the carving tool used to create 'Winter Woods Tuxedo Park' is placed nearby so gallery visitors can get some idea of the dedication and skill needed to produce such a monumental work.”
As well as being a talented artist, Bero was a valued mentor and teacher to many students of printmaking. He served on the faculties of the State Universities of New York at Potsdam and at Purchase, Ramapo College
in New Jersey and Brown University in Rhode Island
. He was long represented by Associated American Artists of New York and by Aldis Browne Fine Arts, Inc. in Los Angeles.
Etching
Etching is the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio in the metal...
s and woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s, Bero also worked in pen and ink, crayon, pastel, pencil, water color
Water color
Water color may refer to:* Watercolor painting, a painting method* Color of water, a measure of water quality as well as a physical property of water* Water Colors , the first album by Japanese song writer Ayako Ikeda...
and collage.
Education
Bero was born in Brooklyn, New YorkBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and attended Poly Prep Country Day School
Poly Prep Country Day School
'Poly Prep Country Day School is headquartered in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. Initially founded as part of the Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute, Poly Prep now offers classes from the nursery grade to 12th grade, occupying buildings on two campuses...
, graduating in 1959. He earned a BFA from the Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in Fine Arts
Fine art
Fine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
(Highest Honors) and an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he served as an assistant to etching professor Gabor Peterdi
Gabor Peterdi
Gabor Peterdi was a Hungarian-American painter and print-maker . He emigrated to the United States in 1939 and taught print-making at Yale. He was a major influence on younger American print-makers including Robert Bero...
.
Bero began his teaching career at the State University of New York at Potsdam
State University of New York at Potsdam
The State University of New York at Potsdam, also known as SUNY Potsdam, or, colloquially, Potsdam, is a public university located in the Village of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, New York. Founded in 1816, it is among the 50 oldest colleges in the United States...
, where he worked as an Assistant Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
from 1967 until 1973. He then joined the faculty of Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
as an Assistant Professor. From 1974 until 1982 he was Assistant Professor at Ramapo College's School of Contemporary Arts, serving as Chairperson from 1978 until 1980. From 2001 onwards, he was an Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Purchase
State University of New York at Purchase
Purchase College, State University of New York, is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York system...
.
Career
Bero had a long and productive career as a printmaker, artist and educator. He was first accorded a major retrospective exhibition at Nyack’s Edward Hopper Foundation in 1978. Since that time, his prints have been exhibited at the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Yale University, the Museum of Fine Arts, Cincinnati, and at the Society of American Graphic Artists. His art has received numerous awards and grants, including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, a Fulbright Grant, the Benicke Grant and Purchase Prizes from the Library of Congress. Some of his best known pieces include First Snow, Small Poplar, and Large Poplar.
D. Dominick Lombardi 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...
, reviewing Bero’s exhibition at Dobbs Ferry’s Hudson River Gallery, wrote that: “… Robert Bero expands the visual language
Visual language
A visual language is a system of communication using visual elements. Speech as a means of communication cannot strictly be separated from the whole of human communicative activity which includes the visual and the term 'language' in relation to vision is an extension of its use to describe the...
of a familiar genre. In Mr. Bero’s case, it is the landscape. Using a multitude of mediums including woodcut, conte crayon
Conté
Conté, also known as Conté sticks or Conté crayons, are a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a wax or clay base, square in cross-section...
and watercolor he renders the intricacies of the natural world in a very intense way. Dancing leaves, flitting snowflakes, twisting tree limbs—everything one notices when looking carefully and systematically at nature can be found here. Most impressive are two works: 'Winter Woods Tuxedo Park,' and an untitled watercolor, pastel and conte crayon work…As part of the exhibition, the handmade laminated birch wood plate, his wooden baren used in place of a press, and the carving tool used to create 'Winter Woods Tuxedo Park' is placed nearby so gallery visitors can get some idea of the dedication and skill needed to produce such a monumental work.”
As well as being a talented artist, Bero was a valued mentor and teacher to many students of printmaking. He served on the faculties of the State Universities of New York at Potsdam and at Purchase, Ramapo College
Ramapo College
Ramapo College of New Jersey is a public liberal arts and professional studies institution of the New Jersey system of higher education.- Location :...
in New Jersey and Brown University in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. He was long represented by Associated American Artists of New York and by Aldis Browne Fine Arts, Inc. in Los Angeles.
Select exhibitions, group and single person
- Galerie Rienzo, NY, 2003
- Hudson River Gallery, NY, 2003
- Watermark Cargo Gallery, NY, 2003
- Nobu Fine Arts, London EnglandLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 2002 - Bronxville Art Center, 2002
- Watermark Gallery, Greenport, NY, 2002
- American Fine Arts Company, New York CityNew York CityNew 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...
, 2002 - Gallery Gertrude Stein, 2001
- Watermark Cargo Gallery, NY, 2000
- Aldis Browne Fine Arts, Venice, CAVenice, Los Angeles, CaliforniaVenice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors...
, 1999, 2000 - Lillehammer Art Museum, Norway, 2001
- Art/31/Basel, Switzerland, 1999
- Contemporary Art Center, 1999
- Sylvan Cole Fine Arts, New York City, 1999
- Contemporary American Landscapes, Cologne, GermanyCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, 1999 - Galerie Lelong, Zurich, SwitzerlandZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, 1998 - Bucknell, University , PA, 1997
- Center for Graphic Arts, Portland Art MuseumPortland Art MuseumThe Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it the oldest art museum on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the United States. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum became one of the twenty-five largest art museums in...
, 1997 - Selected Works, John Davidson Gallery, NY, 1995
- Sylvan Cole Gallery, Selected Prints, NY, 1955
- Giles Abrieux Fine arts, Big Prints, Chicago, 1994
- Selected Prints, John Szoke Gallery, NY, 1993
- Society of American Graphic Artists, NY, 1993.