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this is a plate signed screenprint or poster 31X20 inches. framed. Rudolf Weisenborn was born in Chicago on October 31, 1881. As a young man, worked as a gold miner and cowboy in Colorado to enable himself to study art. He studied for four years under Jean Mannheim and Henry Reed in Denver. Returning to Chicago in 1913, he has his first one man show at the Molton and Rickettes Gallery. In his long and productive career as a leading avant-garde artist he has had many one-man shows and has participated in countless group exhibitions throughout the United States.
His abstract painting Chicago was shown at the Art Institute of Chicago in the annual American Exhibition in 1928. Weisenborn has the distinction of being the first artist to show an abstract painting at the Art Institute. In 1929 two of his abstract paintings, Chicago and Self-Portrait were again invited to the American Exhibition at the Art Institute. Ten years later his self-portrait was included in the important Fifty Years of American Art exhibition. In 1933 Weisenborn was commissioned to do a large mural for the Century of Progress. His was the only abstract mural at the Fair. Weisenborn is recognized as an important influence in Chicago art as a pioneer abstract painter and teacher. He taught at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts from 1922 to 1934 and at his studio from 1934 to 1964. A founder and first president of the Chicago No Jury Society of Artists from 1922 to 1927, he also served as president of the Midwest region of Artists' Equity in 1953. His paintings are in important public and private collections in London, England; Glasgow, Scotland; Dusseldorf, Germany; and the United States including the Art Institute of Chicago. He executed a number or murals for the W.P.A. of which only two are in existence; they are at Nettlehorst Elementary School, Chicago. In 1933 he was commissioned to do a large mural for the Century of Progress. During World War II, and important mural was executed for Herman Spertus and is depicted in the video tape, "Chicago Eye of Rudolph Weisenborn" Created by Ron and Cecile Clasky. The video has been aired twice by Chicago public television station WTTW. Weisenborn was an early artistic leader in Chicago and his importance to the Chicago art scene is hard to overemphasis. Weisenborn was the only artist, from outside of New York, that was a founding member of the American Abstract Artists group. He began teaching in 1922 and continued instructing students until 1964. His role as the leading Chicago painter went unchallenged until the late 1940's, when he became the artist to react against, instead of the one to follow. In the 1970s and 80s we was represented by the Gilman Gallery in Chicago. In the 90s his work was included in many of the exhibitions at the Struve Gallery, also in Chicago. Condition reportframed
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