Rudolph Weisenborn (1881-1974) was an American artist. He painted murals for the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA) and was a founding member of the

American Abstract Artists American Abstract Artists (AAA) was formed in 1936 in New York City, to promote and foster public understanding of abstract art. American Abstract Artists exhibitions, publications, and lectures helped to establish the organization as a major fo ...

(AAA).

Biography

Weisenborn was born in 1881 in Chicago, Illinois. He attended art school in Denver, Colorado where his teachers included

Jean Mannheim Jean Mannheim (November 18, 1863 – September 6, 1945) was a German-born American artist and educator, known for his California Impressionist paintings. He was active in Decatur, Illinois and Pasadena, California. About Jean Mannheim was ...

. In 1913 he returned to Chicago. In 1922 he married Alfreda Gordon (1900-1968). Weisenborn was active in the Chicago art scene. He was a member of several art groups including the Palette and Chisel Club, the

American Artists' Congress The American Artists' Congress (AAC) was an organization founded in February 1936 as part of the popular front of the Communist Party USA as a vehicle for uniting graphic artists in projects helping to combat the spread of fascism. During World W ...

, the Cor Ardens, the

Chicago No-Jury Society of Artists Chicago No-Jury Society of Artists or No-Jury Society was a Chicago artists association known for sponsoring art exhibits where anyone could exhibit art after paying a small fee per artwork. In 1922 the fee was $4.00. The No-Jury Society was fo ...

, and the

Chicago Society of Artists The Chicago Society of Artists is a non-profit organization. The "CSA is the oldest continuing association of artists in the United States. Since its inception and incorporation in 1889, the Chicago Society of Artists has had two primary objectives ...

. Weisenborn taught at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts from 1922 through 1934. He then taught privately until 1964. In the 1930s Weisenborn produced several murals for the Works Progress Administration (WPA); a 7' X 30' mural entitled ''Contemporary Chicago'' at the Nettlehorst Elementary School in Chicago, and a series of murals at

Crane Technical High School Richard T. Crane Medical Prep High School (formerly known as Crane Tech Prep or Crane Tech High School) is a public 4–year medical prep high school located in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The school is o ...

. In 1933 his work was exhibited at the

Century of Progress A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositi ...

International Exposition in Chicago. Weisenborn was a founding member of the

in 1936. Weisenborn died in 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. His papers are in the

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...

at the Smithsonian Institution. His work is in the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art, and its attached Sculpture Garden, is a national art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of char ...

, and the

Union League Club of Chicago The Union League Club of Chicago is a prominent civic and social club in Chicago that was founded in 1879. Its second and current clubhouse is located at 65 W Jackson Boulevard on the corner of Federal Street, in the Loop neighborhood of Chi ...

(ULCC).

References

External links

images of Weisenborn's work
on Invaluable

Biography

References

External links

Further reading