Robert Birmelin

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Robert Birmelin
Born1933 (age 90–91)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Other namesAugust Robert
A. Robert Birmelin
EducationCooper Union Art School
Yale School of Art
Occupation(s)American figurative painter, printmaker, and draughtsman
Websiterobertbirmelin.com

Robert Birmelin (born 1933) is an American figurative painter, printmaker and draughtsman. In other contexts he is also known as August Robert or A. Robert Birmelin. He was born in Newark, New Jersey and currently resides in Leonia, New Jersey.

Birmelin is best known for his paintings and drawings capturing the drama of close physical involvement as experienced in the movement and tensions of the urban crowd. He has also explored a range of other subjects, including landscape and recently, more subjective themes dealing with memory and time, often employing double imagery. Since 2016 he has focused mainly on drawing, producing several long horizontal narrative works, inspired by the format of Chinese and Japanese scrolls he has studied at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Drawing from life, from memory and imagination are central to his practice, strongly believing they yield more vigorous, personal visual imagery, than does the habit of relying to photographic sources, as is common among many contemporary figurative artists.[1]

Education[edit]

Born in Newark, Birmelin was raised in nearby Bloomfield, where he was encouraged to attend Cooper Union by a teacher of his at Bloomfield High School.[2][3] Birmelin studied at the Cooper Union Art School (1951–1954)[4] and Yale School of Art (1954–1956, BFA and 1959–1960, MFA), where Josef Albers, Bernard Chaet, and Gabor Peterdi were his most important mentors. He received a Fulbright Fellowship to the Slade School of the University of London (1960–61), followed by a Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome (1961–64).[1]

Exhibition history[edit]

Birmelin's work has been seen in 55 one-person exhibitions in the US and internationally, from his first show at The Stable Gallery[5][6] in New York in 1960 to his most recent show at the Luise Ross Gallery in New York in 2016.[7] His exhibitions include retrospectives at:

  • The Columbus Museum, Columbus, Georgia (2003)[8]
  • The Jaffe-Friede Gallery at Dartmouth College (1999)[9]
  • The Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, New Jersey (1997)[10]

He has also participated in many group exhibitions in the United States and Europe.

Birmelin's works are represented in 50 public collections, among them The Metropolitan Museum of Art,[11] The Museum of Modern Art,[12] and The Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C.[13][14]

Awards[edit]

Birmelin has received awards and grants from The National Endowment for the Arts, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, The National Academy, The American Academy of Arts and Letters, The Joan Mitchell Foundation, as well as four grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and three from The National Endowment for the Arts.[6]

Teaching[edit]

Birmelin was Professor in the Art Department at Queens College of The City University of New York[1] from 1964 to 1999, and also has lectured at colleges and universities throughout the US.

Personal life[edit]

In 1960, he and Blair Tillisch (1937–2020) were married.[15] She was an artist and novelist.[16][17] They have two sons: Lucas, a medical doctor[18] and Nicholas, a musician.[19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Schwabsky, Barry (December 14, 1997). "IN PERSON; Commuter Artist". The New York Times. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  2. ^ Keyishian, Marjorie. "Mural Honors Paterson's Rich History", The New York Times, November 17, 1991. Retrieved May 1, 2021. "Born in Newark, Mr. Birmelin grew up in Bloomfield. A high school teacher, Dorothea Fischer, whom he called 'a great help and an excellent tutor' and who still comes to all his shows, suggested that he apply for a scholarship to Cooper Union."
  3. ^ DiFulco, Pasquale. "Colorful mural by Robert Birmelin recalls Paterson's rich history", Herald News, January 12, 1992. Retrieved May 1, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "By 1949, during his sophomore year at Bloomfield, High School, Birmelin came under the tutelage of now-retired art teacher Dorothea Fischer, who said the artist was a superb student, not only academically, but you just knew he had artistic talent as well."
  4. ^ Thieves, Noemi Charlotte (February 22, 2013). "Where Would You Be Without Cooper? Robert Birmelin A'54". Retrieved December 18, 2020 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ Levin, Meyer; Levin, Eli (January 1, 1961). "Robert Birmelin Uses tables, dogs In 'floating' art". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  6. ^ a b "Robert Birmelin: Recent Paintings, Maine and New York". Archive.org. March 1980. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "Robert Birmelin: The End of Certainty". MutualArt. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  8. ^ Robert Birmelin: States of Mind. Columbus, Georgia: The Columbus Museum. 2002. ISBN 188265014X.
  9. ^ Mumford, Steve (1999). "Essay". Robert Birmelin; the Difficulty of Getting it Right - Paintings of the 1990s. Dartmouth College: Hopkins Center.
  10. ^ Jacobs, Nina S. (1997). "Forward". Robert Birmelin A Life in Drawing - Drawings and Related Prints. Jersey City: Jersey City Museum.
  11. ^ Birmelin, A. Robert (1980). "City Crowd–Cop and Ear". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  12. ^ "Robert Birmelin". MoMA. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  13. ^ Birmelin, Robert (1978–1981). "EDGE OF THE CITY WITH BELTWAY". Hirshhorn. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  14. ^ "Robert Birmelin Bio". Alpha Gallery. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  15. ^ "Blair Birmelin". echovita. March 21, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  16. ^ Birmelin, Blair T. (Fall 1997). "Portrait". Weber: The Contemporary West. 14 (3) – via Weber State University.
  17. ^ "Birmelin, Blair T." WorldCat. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  18. ^ "Dr. Lucas A. BirmelinMD". U.S. News. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  19. ^ Turtle Bay Music School. "Artist Series at TBMS. 2018–2019." Leaflet. Retrieved December 18, 2020. https://www.murrayhillnyc.org/photos/Events/2019_TBMS_Artist_Series_Brochure.pdf.
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