Leonard Edmondson

Leonard Edmondson
Edmondson, 1952
Born(1916-06-12)June 12, 1916
Sacramento, California
DiedJuly 23, 2002(2002-07-23) (aged 86)
West Covina, California
NationalityAmerican
Known forArtist, Educator
MovementAbstract expressionism
Spouse(s)Grace Waegell, Gail Jacobs

Leonard Edmondson (1916-2002) was an American Abstract expressionist painter and printmaker.[1]

Biography

Edmondson was born on June 12, 1916, in Sacramento, California. He attended the Los Angeles City College and then the University of California, Berkeley where he earned both his B.A. and M.A.. He went on to serve in the Military Intelligence Corps (United States Army) from 1942 through 1946.[2]

When he left the Army and returned to California he began his teaching career at Pasadena City College. He later taught at the Otis Art Institute and California State University, Los Angeles.[3] In 1962, Edmondson was a founding member of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society. In 1973, his book "Etching" (ISBN 0442222351) was published.[4]

Exhibitions

In 1950 Edmondson had his first solo show at the Felix Landau Gallery followed by shows at the de Young Museum and the Pasadena Museum of California Art.[5] In 1960 Edmondson was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.[6] An interview with Edmondson was included in the 1966-1967 "Art and Artists" radio program series which is archived at the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art.[7]

Personal life

In 1942, Edmondson married Grace Waegell, whom he met at U.C. Berkeley. [8] In 1943, while stationed at Fort Sumner, in a letter to his wife, he expressed his ambition to "study under a top-notch artist" as a path toward becoming an art teacher, and "prescient conviction about painting", amongst more mundane concerns. [9] Edmondson became life long friends with classmate Ynez Johnston.[10][11]

Legacy

Edmondson's work is in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum[12] the National Gallery of Art,[13] the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[14]

Edmondson died on July 23, 2002, in West Covina, California.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Leonard Edmondson Biography". Annex Galleries Fine Prints. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Leonard Edmondson". AskArt. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Etching by Leonard Edmondson on Rare Book Cellar". Rare Book Cellar. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Peter's Auction Pick of the Day: Opportune Investments in Abstract Painting". Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA). Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Leonard Edmondson". John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Interview with Leonard Edmondson, 1966-1967, from the Molly Saltman "Art and Artists" interviews, 1966-1967". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  7. ^ County of Alameda (4 August 1942). "Marriage Certificate" (PDF).
  8. ^ "Letter of August 10, 1943" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Photograph, L to R, Ynez Johnston, Leonard Edmondson, Grace Waegell at U.C. Berkeley in the early 40's". February 7, 2024.
  10. ^ "Ynez and Leonard".
  11. ^ "Flying Machine". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  12. ^ "Escarpment". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 7 March 2020.