Ernest P. Briggs Jr. (1923–1984) was a second-generation Abstract Expressionist painter known for his expressive, sometimes calligraphic brushwork, his geometric compositions, and revolution in

abstract painting Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19t ...

that secured

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

's position as the art capital of the world in the post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

period.

Biography

Briggs was born on December 24, 1923, in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

.''Three Decades of Ernest Briggs''
Anita Shapolsky Gallery & A.S. Art Foundation, New York City, January 26, 2017, page 4. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II (1943–1946), where he spent 18 months in Tampa and a year in India. Briggs studied painting at the Schaeffer School of Design,

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

(1946–47) and later at The

California School of Fine Arts San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximatel ...

, San Francisco (1947-1951), where he thrived under the tutelage of such ab-ex greats as

Clyfford Still Clyfford Still (November 30, 1904 – June 23, 1980) was an American painter, and one of the leading figures in the first generation of Abstract Expressionists, who developed a new, powerful approach to painting in the years immediately follow ...

Ad Reinhardt Adolph Dietrich Friedrich Reinhardt (December 24, 1913 – August 30, 1967) was an abstract painter active in New York for more than three decades. He was a member of the American Abstract Artists (AAA) and part of the movement center ...

, David Park, and

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko (), born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz (russian: Ма́ркус Я́ковлевич Ротко́вич, link=no, lv, Markuss Rotkovičs, link=no; name not Anglicized until 1940; September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Lat ...

. According to New York Times critic Grace Glueck, Briggs was largely impacted by the "painterly rhetoric" of his teacher Clyfford Still during and after his time at CSFA. Considered a member of the second generation of

Abstract Expressionists 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 ...

, along with Giorgio Cavallon, Briggs left California for New York in 1953 where he began exhibiting at the

Stable Gallery The Stable Gallery, originally located on West 58th Street in New York City, was founded in 1953 by Eleanor Ward. The Stable Gallery hosted early solo New York exhibitions for artists including Marisol Escobar, Robert Indiana and Andy Warhol. His ...

. During the 1950s, he was able to make a name for himself through his explosive and dynamic

style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...

as part of the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

. Briggs brought to the East Coast a fresh, lively aesthetic, reflecting what has been termed a "radical West Coast style" that he had continued to develop since his days at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco. He participated in several Whitney Museum Annuals and in 1956 was included in the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

’s exhibition “12 Americans” curated by Dorothy Miller.''The Artist’s World In Pictures''
/ref> He taught painting and sculpture at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from 1961 until the time of his death at age 61, and is survived by his wife Anne Arnold, who is also an artist.''ERNEST BRIGGS, ARTIST AND FOR 2 DECADES A TEACHER AT PRATT''
/ref> The dynamism and at some points discord in Briggs' work is best suggested by the following quote from his obituary, published on June 14, 1984, in ''The New York Times'': :"Sometimes Mr. Briggs's emphasis was on strong, lyrical color and thick brush strokes that called attention to the act of painting. Sometimes, as in his exhibition earlier this year at the Gruenebaum Gallery in New York, his work was more linear and geometric, and the expressive element was dependent upon a strong, almost translucent light within grays and blues."

Selected solo exhibitions

*1949: (first) Metart Gallery, San Francisco, California *1954/55:

*1956: San Francisco Art Association Gallery, California *1960/62/63: The Howard Wise Gallery, New York *1968: Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut *1969: Alonzo Gallery, New York *1973: Green Mountain Gallery, New York *1975: Susan Caldwell Gallery, Inc., New York *1977: Aaron Berman Gallery, New York *1980: Landmark Gallery, New York *1980/82: Gruenebaum Gallery, New York *1984: ''Memorial Exhibition'', Gruenebaum Gallery *1991: With Edward Dugmore,

Anita Shapolsky Gallery The Anita Shapolsky Gallery is an art gallery that was founded in 1982 by Anita Shapolsky. It is currently located at 152 East 65th Street, on Manhattan's Upper East Side, in New York City. The gallery specializes in 1950s and 1960s abstract e ...

, New York City *1992: With Ibram Lassaw, Anita Shapolsky Gallery *1994: With Clement Meadmore and Erik van der Grijn, Anita Shapolsky Gallery *1996: ''Two Painters and a Sculptor'' (with Clement Meadmore and Erik van der Grijn), Anita Shapolsky Gallery *1998: ''Abstract Paintings from the 1950s to the 1970s'' (with Michael Loew), Anita Shapolsky Gallery *2001: Anita Shapolsky Gallery *2002: ''Abstract Expressionist Paintings from the 1950s'', Mishkin Gallery,

Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the college operates unde ...

, City University of New York *2004: ''Ernest Briggs: Paintings of the 50s and 60s'', Anita Shapolsky Gallery *2005: ''Ernest Briggs: Paintings of 50s & 60s'', Anita Shapolsky Gallery *2006-07: ''

Nassos Daphnis Nassos Daphnis (July 23, 1914 in Krokeai, Greece – November 23, 2010 in Provincetown, Massachusetts, U.S.) was a Greek-born American abstract painter, sculptor and tree peony breeder. Army Service: 1942–1945 Daphnis served in the United ...

& Ernest Briggs: OPPOSING FORCES'', Anita Shaplosky Gallery

Selected group exhibitions

*1948/49/53: ''San Francisco Art Association Annuals'' *1953: ''Five Bay Area Artists'',

California Palace of the Legion of Honor The Legion of Honor, formally known as the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, is an art museum in San Francisco, California. Located in Lincoln Park, the Legion of Honor is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which a ...

, San Francisco, California *1955/56/61: ''Annuals and Biennials'',

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–194 ...

, New York City *1956: ''12 Americans'', circle,

, New York City *1961:

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

;

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

*1962/1961,

Dallas Museum of Art The Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is an art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In the 1970s, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Art ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

; ''Contemporary Art Exhibition'',

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and wa ...

, California *1963: ''Directions-Painting-USA'', San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco *1967: ''Large–Scale American Painting'',

Jewish Museum A Jewish museum is a museum which focuses upon Jews and may refer seek to explore and share the Jewish experience in a given area. List of Jewish museums Notable Jewish museums include: *Albania ** Solomon Museum, Berat *Australia ** Jewish Mu ...

, New York; Johnson Museum,

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 tea ...

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

*1969, 70:

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, music, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

, New York *1970: Proctor Art Center,

Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1860, ...

, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York; ''San Francisco 1945-1950'', Oakland Art Museum, California *1976: ''California Painting and Sculpture: The Modern Era'', San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California *1977: ''Bay Area Update'', Huntsville Museum of Art,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

*1978: ''Cape Split Place'',

Addison, Maine Addison is a town in Washington County, Maine, United States. The town was named after English author Joseph Addison. The population was 1,148 as of the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total ...

*1984: ''Underknown'', Institute for Art & Urban Resources, P.S. 1,

Long Island City, New York Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...

*1989: Anne Weber Gallery,

Georgetown, Maine Georgetown is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,058 at the 2020 census. Home to Reid State Park, the town is part of the Portland– South Portland– Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

;

Portland Museum of Art The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine. ...

, Maine *1991: ''The Prevailing Fifties'', also with Edward Dugmore, Anita Shapolsky Gallery, New York City *1992: ''The Tradition'', also with

Ibram Lassaw Ibram Lassaw (May 4, 1913 – December 30, 2003) was a Russian-American sculptor, known for non-objective construction in brazed metals. Biography Lassaw was born in Alexandria, Egypt, of Russian émigré parents, he went to the U.S. in 1921. ...

, Anita Shapolsky Gallery *1994: ''New York–Provincetown: A 50s Connection'', Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Massachusetts; Maryland Art Institute, Maryland *1994/96: Josiah White Exhibition Center, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania *1995: ''The Fifties'', Anita Shapolsky Gallery *1996: ''Other Artists of the 50s'', Kendall Campus Art Gallery, Miami–Dade Community College, Florida; ''The San Francisco School of Abstract Expressionism'', San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California *1997: ''Artists of the 1950s'', Part 1 and 2, Anita Shapolsky Gallery *1998: ''Paper Works'', Anita Shapolsky Gallery *1998-99: ''Artists of the 50s; The Development of Abstraction'', Anita Shapolsky Gallery *1999: ''Abstract Expressionist Tradition'', Anita Shapolsky Gallery *2000: ''Art For Art’s Sake–Credo of the Fifties'', Anita Shapolsky Gallery *2004
''San Francisco and the Second Wave: The Blair Collection of Bay Area Abstract Expressionism''

Crocker Art Museum The Crocker Art Museum is the oldest art museum in the Western United States, located in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1885, the museum holds one of the premier collections of Californian art. The collection includes American works dating f ...

, Sacramento, California
''Re-Examining Abstract Art, Part 2''
Anita Shapolsky Gallery

Anita Shapolsky Gallery *2005

Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California

Anita Shapolsky Gallery

Selected public collections

* Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York * Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Rockefeller Institute, New York City *

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 ...

, Washington, DC, *

, California *

San Jose Museum of Art The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum in downtown San Jose, California, United States. Founded in 1969, the museum holds a permanent collection with an emphasis on West Coast artists of the 20th and 21st centur ...

, San Jose, California *

Oakland Museum of California The Oakland Museum of California or OMCA (formerly the Oakland Museum) is an interdisciplinary museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California, located adjacent to Oak Street, 10th Street, and 11th Street in Oakland, Cal ...

, Oakland, California *

, Portland, Maine *

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, to ...

, Minneapolis, Minnesota *

, New York City

References

Sources

''12 Americans''
(edited by Dorothy C. Miller; Published by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, 1956.) OCLC: 510514
''San Francisco and the second wave : the Blair collection of Bay area abstract expressionism''
(Sacramento, CA : Crocker Art Museum, 2004.)
''Painting and sculpture in California, the modern era''
(San Francisco: The Museum, 1977.) OCLC: 3370173
''Out of Darkness, Light''
(by Bruce Nixon, in Arts and Antiques, October 2012)

Books

*Thomas Albright, '' Art in the San Francisco Bay area, 1945-1980 : an illustrated history'', (Berkeley, Calif. : University of California Press, ©1985.) * Susan Landauer
''The San Francisco school of abstract expressionism''
(Berkeley : University of California Press, ©1996.) *Marika Herskovic
''American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey,''
(New York School Press, 2003.) . pp. 54–57 *Marika Herskovic
''New York School Abstract Expressionists Artists Choice by Artists,''
(New York School Press, 2000.) . p. 32; p. 36 *Marika Herskovic
''American Abstract and Figurative Expressionism Style Is Timely Art Is Timeless''
(New York School Press, 2009.) . pp. 52–55

External links

from the exhibition at the Mishkin Gallery,

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briggs, Ernest 1923 births 1984 deaths Abstract expressionist artists 20th-century American painters American male painters United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Modern painters Painters from California Painters from New York City United States Army Air Forces soldiers 20th-century American male artists