Theodore Brenson

American artist

Theodore Brenson

Born| 1893 (1893)

Riga, Latvia

Died| September 21, 1959(1959-09-21) (aged 71)

Peterborough, New Hampshire

Nationality| American (b. Latvia)
Known for| printmaking, illustration

Theodore Brenson (1893–1959) was a Latvian-American abstract artist and educator.

## Biography

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Brenson was born in Riga, Latvia in 1893.[1] He attended the Art School of the City of Riga, the Imperial Academy of Beaux-Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia, University of Moscow, and the University of Riga.[2]

Brenson emigrated to the United States where he taught at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, the Cummington School of the Arts in Cummington, Massachusetts, Manhattan College, and Douglass College where he was chair of the Art Department.[3]

In 1957 he received the Prix de la Critique in Paris, becoming the first American abstract artist to receive that honor.[2] He was also associated with the Atelier 17 printmaking studio.[4]

Brenson died of a heart attack on September 21, 1959, while working at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire.[3]

Brenson's work is included in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum,[5] the Detroit Institute of Arts,[6] the National Gallery of Art,[7] and the Whitney Museum of American Art.[8] His papers are in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution.[9]

## References

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1. ^ "Theodore Brenson Biography". Annex Galleries Fine Prints. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
2. ^ a b "Theodore Brenson 1893–1959". College Art Journal. 19 (1): 74. 1 September 1959. doi:10.1080/15436322.1959.11465709. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
3. ^ a b "Theodore Brenson – Artist". MacDowell Colony. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
4. ^ Moser, Joann (1977). Atelier 17: A 50th anniversary retrospective exhibition. Elvehjem Art Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison. pp. 83–84. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
5. ^ "Tree and Old Porch". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
6. ^ "Theodore Brenson – No. 13, 1955". Detroit Institute of Arts. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
7. ^ "Theodore Brenson". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
8. ^ "Theodore Brenson". Whitney Museum of American Art. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
9. ^ "Theodore Brenson papers, 1937–1959". Archives of American Art. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 11 June 2020.

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