Andrene Kauffman

Andrene Kauffman
Kauffman in 1986
Born	Camille Andrene Kauffman (1905-04-19)April 19, 1905 Chicago, Illinois
Died	July 4, 1993(1993-07-04) (aged 88) Chicago, Illinois
Nationality	American
Occupation	artist, educator
Years active	1928-1990
Known for	murals

Andrene Kauffman (April 19, 1905 – July 4, 1993) was an American painter and educator who created a mural for the post office mural project in Ida Grove, Iowa. She completed twenty-five murals and seven sculptures throughout Chicago, as part of the art projects for the New Deal's Section of Painting and Sculpture. Later, she completed seventeen ceramic murals for the 3rd Unitarian Church, which was designated as a Chicago Landmark in 1960. In addition to her artwork and exhibitions, Kauffman taught art for forty-one years at various universities in Chicago, Rockford, Illinois and Valparaiso, Indiana.

Camille Andrene Kauffman was born on April 19, 1905 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois to Charlotte Camille (née Henriksen) and George Francis Kauffman Kauffman came from an artistic family. Her father was a dress designer and her paternal grandfather, Francis Xavier Kauffman designed furniture. Her brother G. Francis would become a cartoonist and illustrator. She attended Austin Community Academy High School of Chicago before entering the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 1926 and winning the John Quincy Adams Fellowship from the Institute for a year of continued study abroad. In 1927, Kauffman went to Paris, where she studied with André Lhote and traveled throughout Europe, before returning in 1928 to take up a teaching post at Valparaiso University.

Kauffman was hired as as a professor of Painting and drawing at the Art Institute of Chicago upon her return and simultaneously worked instructing art at Valparaiso University. Both assignments were part time and in 1933, when she was approached by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), she joined the federal program. During her time with the WPA, Kauffman produced over 50 easel paintings, 25 murals and 7 sculpture projects earning $24.50 per week. Some of her first works for the WPA were murals painted for the Brookfield Zoo, which was under construction at the time. Between 1936 and 1940, Kauffman painted four murals for the cafeteria of the Emil G. Hirsch Metropolitan High School including Amusement Park, Circus, Rodeo, and Stock Show The murals were painted over with housepaint, but the outlines of the canvases are visible on the walls and might be able to be restored. In 1937, Kauffman painted Incidents in the Life of Luther Burbank for the Luther Burbank School. The following year, she completed a second mural at the school, Circus. The murals at Burbank were still extant in 2001.