Robert Bero (1941–2007) was an American artist and print maker who won critical acclaim for his detailed depictions of trees and landscapes. Best known for his

etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other types ...

s and

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

s, Bero also worked in

pen and ink A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whic ...

, crayon, pastel, pencil, water color and collage. He served on the faculties of the State Universities of New York at

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

and at

Purchase Purchasing is the process a business or organization uses to acquire goods or services to accomplish its goals. Although there are several organizations that attempt to set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between ...

Ramapo College Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college ...

in New Jersey and

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. A long-time resident of

Tuxedo Park, New York Tuxedo Park is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 623 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area as well as the la ...

, in 2009 the town put up an exhibition of his work at the newly restored, historic Tuxedo Park Train Station.

Education

Bero was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and attended

Poly Prep Country Day School Poly Prep Country Day School (commonly known as Poly Prep) is an independent, co-educational day school with two campuses in Brooklyn, New York, United States. The Middle School (5th to 8th grades) and Upper School (9th to 12th grades) are loc ...

, graduating in 1959. He earned a BFA from the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

(Highest Honors) and an MFA in Painting and Printmaking from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, where he served as an assistant to etching professor

Gabor Peterdi Gabor Peterdi (1915 in Pestújhely, Hungary – 2001 in Stamford, Connecticut) was a Hungarian-American painter and printmaker who immigrated to the United States in 1939.

Career

Bero had a long and productive career as a printmaker, artist and educator. He was first accorded a major retrospective exhibition at Nyack's Edward Hopper Foundation in 1978. Since that time, his prints have been exhibited at the Library of Congress,

the Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, Yale University, the Museum of Fine Arts, Cincinnati, and at the

Society of American Graphic Artists The Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA) is a not for profit national fine arts organization serving professional artists in the field of printmaking. SAGA provides its members with exhibition, reviews and networking opportunities in the Ne ...

. His art has received numerous awards and grants, including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, a Fulbright Grant, the Benicke Grant and Purchase Prizes from the Library of Congress. Some of his best known pieces include First Snow, Small Poplar, and Large Poplar.

Teaching

Bero began his teaching career at the

State University of New York at Potsdam The State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam or, colloquially, Potsdam) is a public college in Potsdam, New York. It is the northernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1816, it is among the ...

, where he worked as an

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree and general ...

from 1967 until 1973. He then joined the faculty of

as an assistant professor. From 1974 until 1982 he was assistant professor at Ramapo College's School of Contemporary Arts, serving as Chairperson from 1978 until 1980. From 2001 onwards, he was an associate professor at the

State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...

Exhibitions (select, group and single person)

D. Dominick Lombardi D. Dominick Lombardi (Bronx, New York, 1954) is a visual artist, writer and art critic; the U.S. editor of ''dArt international'' magazine; as well as a curator. He was an art critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1998 to 2005. Biography D. Dom ...

the New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, reviewing Bero's exhibition at Dobbs Ferry's Hudson River Gallery, wrote that: “… Robert Bero expands the

visual language A visual language is a system of communication using visual elements. Speech as a means of communication cannot strictly be separated from the whole of human communicative activity which includes the visual and the term 'language' in relation to ...

of a familiar genre. In Mr. Bero's case, it is the landscape. Using a multitude of mediums including woodcut,

conte crayon Conte may refer to: * Conte (literature), a literary genre * Conte (surname) * Conté, a drawing medium * Conte, Jura, town in France * Conté royal family, a fictional family in Tamora Pierce's Tortallan world * Conte, the title of Count in Italy ...

and watercolor he renders the intricacies of the natural world in a very intense way. Dancing leaves, flitting snowflakes, twisting tree limbs—everything one notices when looking carefully and systematically at nature can be found here. Most impressive are two works: 'Winter Woods Tuxedo Park,' and an untitled watercolor, pastel and conte crayon work…As part of the exhibition, the handmade laminated birch wood plate, his wooden baren used in place of a press, and the carving tool used to create 'Winter Woods Tuxedo Park' is placed nearby so gallery visitors can get some idea of the dedication and skill needed to produce such a monumental work.” * Galerie Rienzo, NY, 2003 * Hudson River Gallery, NY, 2003 * Watermark Cargo Gallery, NY, 2003 * Nobu Fine Arts, London England, 2002 * Bronxville Art Center, 2002 * Watermark Gallery, Greenport, NY, 2002 * American Fine Arts Company,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, 2002 * Gallery Gertrude Stein, 2001 * Watermark Cargo Gallery, NY, 2000 * Aldis Browne Fine Arts,

Venice, CA Venice is a neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles within the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of Los Angeles County, California. Venice was founded by Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a seaside resort town. It was an independent city unti ...

, 1999, 2000 * Lillehammer Art Museum, Norway, 2001 * Art/31/Basel, Switzerland, 1999 * Contemporary Art Center, 1999 * Sylvan Cole Fine Arts, New York City, 1999 * Contemporary American Landscapes,

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

, 1999 * Galerie Lelong, Zurich, Switzerland, 1998 * Bucknell, University, PA, 1997 * Center for Graphic Arts,

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum becam ...

, 1997 * Selected Works, John Davidson Gallery, NY, 1995 * Sylvan Cole Gallery, Selected Prints, NY, 1955 * Giles Abrieux Fine arts, Big Prints, Chicago, 1994 * Selected Prints, John Szoke Gallery, NY, 1993 * Society of American Graphic Artists, NY, 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bero, Robert 1941 births 2007 deaths American printmakers Poly Prep alumni Pratt Institute alumni Yale School of Art alumni