Betty Warren Herzog (January 6, 1920 – November 8, 1993) was an American portrait artist. She was known for her bright colorist portraits and was one of the top paid female portraitists of the 20th century. Her last formal portrait was of Governor

Hugh Carey Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney. He was a seven-term U.S. representative from 1961 to 1974 and the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982. He was a member of the Democratic Party. ...

for the State of New York in 1991.

Biography

Warren was born in New York City. She was the daughter of illustrator Jack A. Warren, the co-creator of

Pecos Bill Pecos Bill is a fictional cowboy and folk hero in stories set during American Expansionism, westward expansion into the Southwest of Texas, New Mexico, Southern California, and Arizona. These narratives were invented as short stories in a book b ...

. At the age of 16, her father convinced her to become an artist like him. She studied art with her father, as well as

Henry Hensche Henry Hensche (February 25, 1899 – December 10, 1992) was an American painter and teacher. Early years Born Heinrich Hensche, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Henry came to the United States by way of Antwerp, Belgium. He is listed on the sh ...

Provincetown Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States Census, Provincet ...

, and at the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

. Hensche painted a portrait of Warren as a young woman. Warren was the youngest woman to be given a solo exhibit at a major United States Museum (

Berkshire Museum __NOTOC__ The Berkshire Museum is a museum of art, natural history, and ancient civilization that is located in Pittsfield in Berkshire County, Massachusetts ( United States). History The Berkshire Museum, founded by local paper magnate Zenas ...

1940), when she was twenty years old. She became nationally known as a portraitist by the 1980s. She started an art school at

Malden Bridge, New York Chatham is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 4,104 at the 2020 census, down from the 2010 census. The town has a village also called Chatham on its southern town line. The town is at the northern border of ...

. In 1987, the Albany Institute feature a major retrospective of four decades of her work.

Personal life

She was married to Stuart Lancaster; they had two sons, John Lancaster (now known as Guruatma S. Khalsa) and Michael Lancaster, and later divorced. During her later life she was married to Jacob Herzog, a prominent attorney in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

, for over 25 years they mostly wintered in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. and Warren painted some of her most acclaimed paintings there. She died in Albany in 1993, at the age of 73.

Notable works

Warren's work was realistic, described by the ''

Albany Times-Union The ''Times Union'' is an American daily newspaper, serving the Capital Region of New York. Although the newspaper focuses on Albany and its suburbs, it covers all parts of the four-county area, including the cities of Troy, Schenectady and Sa ...

'' as "traditional, even academic", in contrast to the more popular

abstract expressionism Abstract expressionism is a post–World War II art movement in American painting, developed in New York City in the 1940s. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve international influence and put New York at the center of the ...

of her time. Notable works by Warren include: * Her portrait of Governor Carey hangs in the second floor gallery, the "Hall of Governors", of the

New York State Capitol The New York State Capitol, the seat of the Government of New York State, New York state government, is located in Albany, New York, Albany, the List of U.S. state capitals, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The seat o ...

. * She painted long-time

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

mayor Erastus Corning II twice. * She got a commission for her portrait of Norman Rice, an art historian and the curator of the

Albany Institute of History and Art The Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) is a museum in Albany, New York, United States, "dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting interest in the history, art, and culture of Albany and the Upper Hudson Valley region". ...

. * Warren's ''Under Canvas'' is in the permanent collection of the Albany Institute. * She painted portraits of some of the associate justices of New York's highest court, which remain on display at the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

. * Her portrait of "Mrs. Charlie", the wife of circus legend

Charles Ringling Charles Edward Ringling (December 2, 1863 – December 3, 1926) was one of the Ringling brothers, who owned the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He was in charge of production and greatly admired by the employees, who called him ...

, was the centerpiece of a special exhibit on the circus, and is owned by The Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida.

Notable students

Warren's legacy includes the many students to whom she taught art at her own school in Malden Bridge, as well as her classes at the Albany Institute. Lorraine Lans was one of her students. Philip Gianni studied two summers, under a scholarship, with Warren at Malden Bridge. Norman Rice considered her a dear friend and worked with her. Rob Longley, an art teacher at the

Provincetown Art Association and Museum The Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) is located at 460 Commercial Street in Provincetown, Massachusetts. It is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is the most attended art museum on Cape Cod. The museum's permanent coll ...

, was also a student of hers. Nelson Shanks, noted portrait painter was her student. Susan Goetz, and Maryanna Goetz also studied with her. Both are noted painters. Barbara Harnack studied with Betty Warren and eventually Harnack married Warren's son Michael Lancaster.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, Betty 1920 births 1993 deaths 20th-century American painters 20th-century American women painters Painters from New York City National Academy of Design alumni