American (1917–1999)
About the artist:
Born in New York, New York, September 19, 1917; Died Valley Cottage, New York, November 18, 1999. Born in New York City, Stephen Greene had a painting and teaching career in Pennsylvania and New York. His style was modernist, and his subjects often related to Christian themes and symbols that expressed human isolation during World War II. He was also an illustrator for Esquire magazine. He studied at the Art Students League and National Academy of Design in New York City and earned a B.F.A. from the State University of Iowa in 1942 and an M.A. in 1945. He also studied at William and Mary College and with painter Philip Guston. From 1959 to 1965, he taught at the Art Students League, and from 1959 to 1963, he taught at Pratt Institute. From 1968 to 1985, he at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. Exhibition venues included the Whitney Museum, National Academy of Design, Art Institute of Chicago, Cororan Gallery, and the Pennsylvania Academy. Education 1936-1937 National Academy School of Fine Arts, New York 1937-1938 Arts Students League, New York 1938 The Richmond Division of the College of William and Mary, Richmond, VA 1942 B.F.A., State University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 1945 M.A., State University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA Selected Solo Exhibitions: 2006 “Stephen Greene: Pleasure Dome—Works from the Last Two Decades,” New York (February 2-March 11) 2003 “Stephen Greene: Painter and Mentor,” Andover, MA (September 20, 2003-January 4, 2004) 2001 “Stephen Greene: Labyrinth Drawings,” New York 1999 “Stephen Greene: Recent Paintings,” University of Massachusetts, Lowell (October 1-November 3) “Stephen Greene: Five Decades,” David Beitzel Gallery, New York 1998 “Stephen Greene: Selected Works of Four Decades,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica(May 21-June 20) “Stephen Greene: Small Paintings,” Nielsen Gallery, Boston (November 21-December 3) 1997 “Stephen Greene: Moreau’s Garden,” David Beitzel Gallery, New York 1996 “Stephen Greene: Paintings and Works on Paper,” David Beitzel Gallery, New York 1995 “A Tribute to Stephen Greene: Painter, Teacher, Friend,” Nielsen Gallery, Boston (January 7-February 4) “Stephen Greene,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica (May 27-July 8) 1994 “Stephen Greene: The Light of Memory,” Victoria Munroe Fine Art, New York (March 8-April 2) 1992 “Stephen Greene,” Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA 1991 “Stephen Greene: The Tampa Series,” Ruth Bachofner, Santa Monica 1990 “Stephen Greene,” Ruth Bachofner, Santa Monica (April 26-May 26) 1989 “Stephen Greene,” Meredith Long Gallery, Houston “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York “Stephen Greene: Images of Suffering & Salvation,” St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis 1988 “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York “Stephen Greene,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica 1987 “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York “Stephen Greene,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York “Stephen Greene,” J. Rosenthal Fine Arts, Ltd., Chicago, IL 1986 “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York 1985 “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York “Stephen Greene,” Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Los Angeles 1983 “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York 1982 “Stephen Greene,” Galeria Ponce, Mexico City 1981 “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York 1979 “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York “Stephen Greene,” Galeria Ponce, Mexico City 1978 “Stephen Greene: A Decade of Painting,” Akron Art Institute, Akron (May 7-June 18); exhibition traveled to The Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus; North Caroline Museum of Art, Raleigh; The Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire. “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York 1977 “Stephen Greene: Fermata,” Galeria Ponce, Mexico City, Mexico (August-September) 1976 “Stephen Greene,” Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York 1975 “Stephen Greene: New Paintings,” William Zierler, Inc., New York (October 4-30) “Stephen Greene,” Galleria Dell’Obelisco Rome, Italy 1974 “Stephen Greene, A Retrospective Exhibition of Works Produced from 1963 to 1973,” Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia (October 18-November 17) 1973 “Stephen Greene: Recent Paintings,” William Zierler, Inc., New York (November 3-29) “Stephen Greene,” The Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 1972 “Stephen Greene,” The Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta “Stephen Greene, 25 Years of Drawing: 1947-1972,” William Zierler, Inc., New York (Dec. 2-30) 1971 “Stephen Greene,” William Zierler, Inc., New York 1969 “Stephen Greene,” George Staempfli Gallery, New York 1967 “Stephen Greene,” Franklin Siden Gallery, Detroit, IL 1966 “Stephen Greene,” George Staempfli Gallery, New York 1964 “Stephen Greene,” George Staempfli Gallery, New York 1963 “Stephen Greene: A Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings.” Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (March); exhibition traveled to University of Minnesota, Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Tennessee Fine Arts Center, Des Moines Art Center. 1961 “Stephen Greene,” George Staempfli Gallery, New York 1958 “Stephen Greene,” Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York 1957 “Stephen Greene,” Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York 1955 “Stephen Greene,” Grace Borgenicht Gallery, New York 1952 “Stephen Greene,” Durlacher Brothers, New York Selected Group Exhibitions 1999 “Nielsen Gallery 35th Anniversary Exhibition, Part II - New Works,” Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA. 1997 “View From Abroad: American Realities,” Whitney Museum of American Art. “A Tribute to Grace Borgenicht Gallery The 1950's: The First Decade,” DC Moore Gallery, New York 1996 “July 1996,” David Beitzel, New York 1995 “47th Annual American Academy Purchase Exhibition,” The American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York “Inaugural Exhibition,” Corr Contemporary Art London, England 1994 “Drawings: Jake Berthot, Porfirio DiDonna, Stephen Greene, John Walker,” Victoria Munroe Fine Art, New York, Corr Contemporary Art, London, England 1993 “Crossing the Line: Abstraction/Figuration,” Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA 1992 “Painting, Self-Evident Abstraction,” Spoleto, USA and The William Halsey Gallery, Simmons Center for the Arts, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC 1991 “American Life and American Art,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “American Abstraction,” Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA 1988 “Recent Acquisitions,” Neuberger Museum, Purchase, NY 1982 “Thirty-fourth Annual Hassam & Speicher Fund Purchase Exhibit,” American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York “Distinct Visions: Expressionist Sensibilities, Elaine deKooning, Stephen Greene, Grace Hartigan,” Milton and Sally Avery Art Center, Bard College Annandale-on Hudson, NY “Realism & Realities: The Other Side of American Painting,” Rutgers University Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ 1981 “Decade of Transition: 1940-50,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “156th Annual Exhibition,” National Academy of Design, New York, NY 1979 “The Figurative Tradition,” The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 1977 “American Postwar Painting,” Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 1975 “An American Dream World,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 1973 “Twenty Years of American Painting,” Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York “Biennial of Contemporary American Painting and Sculpture,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “American Artists in Europe,” Palazzo Pretorio, Prato, Italy 1972 “Annual Exhibition,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 1970 “L’art vivant aux Etats Unis,” Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France 1969 “American Paintings, Watercolors and Drawings from the Museum Collection,” Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York “Seven Decades of American Painting,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 1967 “Annual Exhibition,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 1963 “Annual Exhibition,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 1962 “Abstract Drawings and Watercolors,” Museu de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1961 “Annual Exhibition,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “Abstract Expressionists and Imagists,” Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York “VI Sao Palo Bienal,” Sao Paolo, Brazil 1959 “Annual Exhibition,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “Museum Director’s Choice,” Baltimore Museum of Art 1958 “Biennial of Religious Art,” Salzburger Museum, Carolino Augusteum 1957 “Annual Exhibition,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “Annual Exhibition,” Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles 1956 “Annual Exhibition,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “Recent Drawings USA,” Museum of Modern Art, New York 1955 “The New Decade: 35 American Painters and Sculptors,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “Italy Rediscovered,” Munson Williams Proctor Institute, Utica 1954 “Annual Exhibition: Sculpture, Watercolor, Drawing,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “Le Dessin Contemporarin au États Unis,” Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris “Reality and Fantasy,” Walker Art Center, Minneapolis 1952 “Annual Exhibition: Contemporary American Painting,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York “65th American Exhibition, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago “Carnegie International,” Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh 1951 “Annual Exhibition: Sculpture, Watercolor, Drawing,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York 1950 “American Painting Today,” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York “Annual Exhibition: Contemporary American Painting,” Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Selected Bibliography: Artist’s Statements: “A Case in Point,” Art in America 49, 1961. “The Tragic Sense,” in From Sophocles to Picasso. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1962. “Sensibility of the Sixties,” Art in America 55, January-February 1967. “Stephen Greene,” Art Now: New York, vol. 4, New York: University Galleries, March 1972. “Aspects of Reality in My Paintings,” Leonardo 6, 1973. General Publications Ashton, Dore. American Art Since 1945. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. Rose, Barbara. American Art Since 1900. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975. Monographic Catalogues and Exhibition Brochures: Ashton, Dore, Stephen Greene:A Retrospective Exhibition of Paintings and Drawings. Washington, D.C., Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1963 _____, Stephen Greene: A Decade of Painting, Akron: Akron Art Institute, 1978 Ashton, Dore, et al., Stephen Greene: Recent Paintings, Lowell, MA: University Gallery at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1999. Fyfe, Joseph and Stephanie Buhmann. Stephen Greene: Pleasure Dome. New York, NY: Jason McCoy, Inc., 2006. Pease, David et al. Stephen Greene, A Retrospective Exhibition of Works Produced from 1963 to 1973, Philadelphia: Tyler School of Art, Temple University, 1974 Ponce, Juan García. Stephen Greene: Fermata. Mexico, DF, Galeria Ponce, 1977. Rose, Barbara. Stephen Greene: 25 Years of Drawing, New York: William Zierler, Inc., New York, 1972 Wilkin, Karen. Stephen Greene, Edmonton, Alberta: Edmonton Art Gallery, 1972 _____. Stephen Greene: Painter and Mentor, Andover, MA: Addison Gallery of American Art, 2003 Articles: Apesos, Anthony. “Steven Greene,” The New Art Examiner 22 (April 1995), 42. Ashmore, Jerry. “Existentialist Themes in Stephen Greene,” College Art Journal 17, no. 2 (Winter 1958), 160-70. Ashton, Dore. “Akron Art Institute Exhibit,” Arts Magazine 52 (May 1978), 14. _____. “U.S.A: nouvelles explorations de l'espace,” XXe Siecle 29 (June 1967), 8. _____. “Exhibition at Staempfli,” Studio International 171 (June 1966), 275-7. _____. “Historicism and Respect for Tradition,” The Studio, June 1966. _____. “Art USA, 1962,” Studio 163 (March 1962), 84-95. Berger, Laurel. “Stephen Greene at David Beitzel,” Art News 98, no. 3, (March, 1999), 136. Campbell, Lawrence. “Stephen Greene at Marilyn Pearl,” Art in America 74 (April 1986), 88-9. Cavallo, A. S. “Family Portrait by Stephen Greene,” Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 29, no 1 (1949), 17-18. Edelman, Robert G. “Stephen Greene at David Beitzel,” Art in America 84 (September 1996), 110-11. Fried, Michael. “The Goals of Stephen Greene,” Arts Magazine 37 (May 1963), 22-7. Gray, Cleve. “Drawings for Art in America's Fiftieth Anniversary,” Art in America 51 (February 1963), 66-7. Janson, H. W. “Stephen Greene,” Magazine of Art 41 (April 1948), 29-31. Kimmelman, Michael. “Stephen Greene,” The New York Times, January 12, 1996. Kingsley, April. “Diebenkorn and Greene,” Soho News, January 1977. Kozloff, Max. “Decorum and Independence,” The Nation, June 1, 1964 Laurence, Michael. “A Maverick’s Frissons, Artweek 18 (January 31, 1987), 4. Lowell, Robert. “New Year’s Day: A Poem,” Art in America 53 (October 1965), 25. Ludwig, A. I. “Marilyn Pearl Gallery Exhibit,” Arts Magazine 51 (March 1977), 21. Masters, Greg. “Stephen Greene,” Arts Magazine 60 (January 1986), 142. Mellow, J. R., et. al., “New York Letter,” Art International 13 (Summer 1969), 48. Melrod, George. “The Fame Game: Five Survivors of the Art World,” Art & Antiques 20, no. 7, (Summer 1997), pp. 72-9. Moorman, Margaret. “Stephen Greene at Victoria Munroe,” Art News 93 (Summer 1994), 180. O’Doherty, Brian. “Stephen Greene, Perfectionist,” The New York Times, May 16, 1964. Raynor, Vivian, “Exhibition at Staempfli Gallery,” Arts Magazine 38 (September 1964), 62. Rose, Barbara. “The Real Thing,” New York Magazine, January 1973 Rose, Barbara, et. al. “Sensibility of the Sixties,” Art in America 55 (January 1967), 44-57. Sawin, Martica. “Stephen Greene’s Recent Paintings, Arts Magazine 50 (October 1975), 83-5. Schwabsky, Barry. “Stephen Greene at David Beitzel Gallery,” Artforum 37, no. 7 (March 1999), 114-5. Smith, Roberta. “Stephen Greene, Painter with Distinctive Abstract Style,” [Obituary], New York Times, November 29, 1999. Wasserman, E. “Exhibition at Staempfli Gallery,” Artforum 7 (Summer 1969), 65. Wilkin, Karen. “Stephen Greene,” Partisan Review, PR/2 1996. _____. “Stephen Greene at Beitzel Gallery,” Art News 95 (April 1996), 130. _____. “Stephen Greene,” Art International 17 (February 1973), 16-17+. _____. “Is Max Beckmann Likable?” New Criterion. 22, no. 1 (Sept. 2003), 24-9. Willard, Charlotte. “Drawing Today,” Art in America 52 (October 1964), 49-67. Wohl, Helmut. “Recent Paintings of Stephen Greene,” College Art Journal 18, no. 2 (Winter 1959), 130-5. Yau, John. “Luminous Shrouds: The Recent Paintings of Stephen Greene,” Arts Magazine 58, No. 3 (November 1983), 82-4. Public Collections: Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Massachusetts; American Telephone and Telegraph, New York; American Republic Life Insurance Company, Des Moines, Iowa; The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago; Atlantic Richfield Oil Company, Los Angeles; The Chase Manhattan Bank, New York; Chemical Bank, New York; Columbia University, New York; The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, Ohio; The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum , New York; Hamine University Galleries of Saint Paul, Saint Paul, Minnesota; The High Museum of Art , Atlanta; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana; Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan; University of Kentucky, Lexington; Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois, Urbana; Charles H. MacNider Museum, Mason City, Iowa; The Marion Koogler McNay Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, New York; Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, Kansas City; New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans; New York University, New York; The Newark Museum, Newark; Norton Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena; Owens Corning Fiberglas Corporation, Toledo, Ohio; The Art Museum, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts; Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco; The Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Smith, Barney and Company, New York; Stanford University Art Museum, Stanford, California; Tate Gallery, London, England; Tennessee Fine Arts Center at Cheekwood, Nashville; Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford; Weatherspoon Art Gallery, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven; Institute of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Neuberger Museum, Purchase, New York; The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn; Carnegie Art Museum, Pittsburg Awards: 1997 Academy of Arts & Letters Purchase Award 1996 Academy of Arts & Letters Purchase Award, Charles H. MacNider Museum, Mason City, IA Purchase Award, Huscarelle Museum, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA. 1995 Purchase Award, McNair Museum, Iowa 1989 Adolph & Clara Obrig Prize - National Academy of Design, New York 1970 Andrew Carnegie Award, National Academy of Design, New York 1967 Institute of Arts and Letters Awards, New York 1966 The Council of Arts and Letters Grant, New York 1965 The Corcoran Copper Medal and William A. Grant Prize, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. 1958 Purchase prize, Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, Contemporary American Painting. 1952 Prix de Rome (extended through 1954). 1947 First Prize, Place of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA, Annual of Contemporary American Painting. 1946 Purchase Prize, “Biennial of American Painting,” Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA Teaching positions: 1975 Resident Faculty, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, Maine 1968-88 Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Elkins Park 1961-68 Columbia University, New York 1959-64 Pratt Institute, New York 1959 Art Students League, New York 1956-59 Artist-in-Residence, Princeton University 1954-56 Parsons School of Design, New York 1947-52 Parsons School of Design, New York 1946-47 Washington University, St. Louis 1945-46 Indiana University, Bloomington
Born in New York, New York, September 19, 1917; Died Valley Cottage, New York, November 18, 1999. Born in New York City, Stephen Greene had a painting and teaching career in Pennsylvania and New York. His style was modernist, and his subjects often