Bluemner, Oscar, 1867-1938

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Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938) was a painter from South Braintree, Mass. and Germany.

Born in Germany and trained as an architect. Became a painter and moved to the United States in 1892. Became associated with the group of advanced artists associated with Alfred Stieglitz.

From the description of Oscar Bluemner papers, 1886-1939, 1960. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 669909412

Painter; South Braintree, Mass. and Germany.

Born in Germany and trained as an architect. Became a painter and moved to the United States in 1892. Became associated with the group of advanced artists associated with Alfred Stieglitz.

From the description of Oscar Bluemner papers, 1886-1939, 1960. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 227184788

Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938) was born Friedrich Julius Oskar Blümner in Prussia in 1867. As a child he received some formal art training. He enrolled in the architecture department of the Konigliche Technische Hochschule (Royal Technical Academy), Berlin, and received his architecture degree in 1892. A few months later he moved to the United States and worked in Chicago as a draftsman at the World's Columbian Exposition. After the exposition, Bluemner attempted to find work in both Chicago and New York City, but could not find steady employment. In 1903 he created the winning design for the Bronx Borough Courthouse, and for the next few years had various intermittent jobs as an architect in New York. Around this time Bluemner also began writing down his thoughts on aesthetics, art history, and art theory, which he would continue to do for the rest of his life in various journals, diaries, and notebooks.

In 1908 Bluemner met Alfred Stieglitz at Stieglitz's gallery, known as "291", and by 1910 he had decided to pursue painting full-time rather than architecture. From 1911 to 1912 he worked on a set of Neo-Impressionist paintings and, using the money he won in a suit regarding the Bronx Courthouse design, he went on a seven-month trip to Europe, touring museums and galleries, and exhibiting his own work in Germany. Upon returning to the United States, Bluemner exhibited in the 1913 Armory Show, and in 1915 had a one-man show at 291. Despite participating in several exhibitions, including solo shows, for the next ten years Bluemner failed to sell many paintings and lived with his family in near-poverty. In 1916 he moved to New Jersey, living as an itinerant, until finally settling in South Braintree, Massachusetts, after his wife's death in 1926. Over the next few years, Bluemner had several prominent one-man shows at the Whitney Studio Galleries and at the Marie Harriman Gallery in New York. He was briefly employed for the Public Works of Art Project in 1934 and the Federal Art Project in 1936, but due to failing health was forced to stop painting. Oscar Bluemner committed suicide in 1938.

From the guide to the Oscar Bluemner papers, 1886-1939, 1960, (Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Bluemner, Oscar Florianus, 1867-1939 : [miscellaneous ephemeral material]. Metropolitan Museum of Art, Thomas J. Watson Library
creatorOf Bluemner, Oscar, 1867-1938. [Oscar Bluemner : artist file] Detroit Institute of Arts Research Library & Archives, DIA Research Library & Archives
creatorOf Milch Gallery records Archives of American Art
referencedIn Oscar Bluemner : vertical file. Centre canadien d'architecture, | Canadian Centre for Architecture | CCA
referencedIn Ben Benn papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Bluemner, Oscar, 1867-1938. Oscar Bluemner : artist file : study photographs and reproductions of works of art with accompanying documentation 1930?-1990 [graphic] [compiled by staff of The Museum of Modern Art, New York]. Frick Art Reference Library of The Frick Collection
creatorOf Ferdinand Howald papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Bluemner, Oscar. [Oscar Bluemner] : artist file John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Library, Ringling Museum Library
creatorOf Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946. Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1911-1958. University of Pennsylvania Library
creatorOf Bluemner, Oscar, 1867-1938. Correspondence with Carl Zigrosser, 1924-1934, n.d. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Bluemner, Oscar, 1867-1938. Letters, 1933, to Lewis Mumford. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf John Weichsel papers concerning the People's Art Guild Archives of American Art
referencedIn Milch Gallery records Archives of American Art
creatorOf Edward Beatty Rowan papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Oscar Bluemner papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Ben Benn papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Aline Meyer Liebman papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf Robert Laurent papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf John Davis Hatch papers Archives of American Art
referencedIn Bluemner, Oscar : Biographical file. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
referencedIn Alfred Stieglitz / Georgia O'Keeffe archive, 1728-1986 Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library
referencedIn John Davis Hatch papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf William Meyerowitz and Theresa F. Bernstein papers Archives of American Art
creatorOf A. E. (Albert Eugene) Gallatin papers (microfilm) Archives of American Art
creatorOf Bluemner, Oscar, 1867-1938. Artist file. Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives
creatorOf J. B. Neumann papers Archives of American Art
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Oral history interview with John Davis Hatch Archives of American Art
referencedIn Oral history interview with John Davis Hatch Archives of American Art
referencedIn Oral history interview with John Davis Hatch Archives of American Art
Relation Name
associatedWith Ben Benn person
associatedWith Benn, Ben, 1884- person
associatedWith Bourgeois, Stephan, 1881-1964. person
associatedWith Bruce, Edward, 1879-1943. person
associatedWith Detroit Institute of Arts Research Library & Archives. corporateBody
associatedWith Fiene, Ernest, 1894- person
associatedWith Fiene, Ernest, 1894- person
associatedWith Friedman, Arnold, 1874-1946. person
associatedWith Gallatin, A. E. (Albert Eugene), 1881-1952. person
associatedWith Hatch, John Davis. person
associatedWith Hirsch, Stefan, 1899-1964. person
associatedWith Hochschild, Walter person
associatedWith Hochschild, Walter. person
associatedWith Howald, Ferdinand. person
associatedWith Laurent, Robert, 1890-1970. person
associatedWith Lewisohn, Margaret person
associatedWith Lewisohn, Margaret. person
associatedWith Lewisohn, Margaret. person
associatedWith Liebman, Aline Meyer, 1879-1966. person
associatedWith Meyerowitz, William, 1887-1981. person
associatedWith Milch Gallery. corporateBody
associatedWith Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Neumann, J. B. (Jsrael Ber) person
associatedWith Of, George F. (George Ferdinand), b. 1876. person
associatedWith Oscar Bluemner, person
associatedWith Rothbart, Albert person
associatedWith Rothbart, Albert. person
associatedWith Rowan, Edward Beatty, 1898-1946. person
associatedWith Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946. person
associatedWith The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Library. corporateBody
associatedWith Vogelstein, Ludwig, 1871-1934. person
associatedWith Weichsel, John, 1870-1946. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
New York (State)--New York
New York (State)--New York
Subject
Art, American
Architects
Architects
Art
Art
Art
Art, Chinese
Art criticism
Art, Japanese
Painters
Painters
Painting
Occupation
Activity

Person

Birth 1867-06-21

Death 1938-01-12

Americans

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