Frederick Hammersley
| Frederick Hammersley | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
January 5, 1919 Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Died | May 31, 2009 (aged 90) Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Education |
Chouinard Art Institute École des Beaux-Arts Jepson Art Institute |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Hard-edge painting |
| Awards |
Guggenheim Fellowship (1973) National Endowment for the Arts (1975, 1977) |
Frederick Hammersley (January 5, 1919 – May 31, 2009) was a critically acclaimed American abstract painter whose participation in the landmark 1959 Four Abstract Classicists exhibit secured his place in art history.
Frederick Hammersley was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. His father, a Department of the Interior employee, moved the family to Blackfoot, Idaho and eventually to San Francisco, where the young Hammersley first took art lessons. His studies later took him back to Idaho, at Idaho State University in Pocatello from 1936 to 1938 and then to Los Angeles for the Chouinard Art Institute starting in 1940. There he studied everything from figure painting to lettering and his instructors included Rico Lebrun. His artistic training was interrupted by a stint in the U.S. Army Signal Corps and Infantry as a graphic designer. His World War II service in England, Germany, and France was from 1942 to 1946. Fortuitously, he was stationed in Paris near the end of his service, and he took the opportunity to attend the École des Beaux-Arts in 1945. During this period, Hammersley met Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and Constantin Brâncuși, visited their studios, and made sketches.
Hammersley returned to the U.S. and resumed his studies at Chouinard (1946), with financial assistance from the G.I. Bill. A year later, he continued his art education at the experimental Jepson Art Institute for another three years.
He began a teaching career at Jepson in 1948, staying until 1951. Subsequent teaching positions included Pomona College (1953–62), Pasadena Art Museum (1956–61), Chouinard (1964–68), and University of New Mexico (1968–71).
...
Wikipedia