September 16 – October 30, 2010
ClampArt is pleased to announce the exhibition, “Bruce Sargeant and His Circle: By Mark Beard,” which coincides with the release of the publication of the same title from Chronicle Books.
New York-based artist, Mark Beard, has devoted the last two decades to exploring and amassing the work of Bruce Sargeant (1898-1938), a painter who largely idealized and celebrated the beauty of the male form. Had Sargeant not met a tragic and unexpected death in a wrestling accident at the age of 40, he may have gone on to achieve the fame and renown of such painters as James McNeill Whistler, Thomas Eakins, or Winslow Homer. Instead, his oeuvre has remained hidden for years and only recently brought to light thanks to the efforts of Beard.
In addition to paintings and sculpture by Sargeant, the exhibition also includes examples by the artist’s close circle, including his teacher, Hippolyte-Alexandre Michallon (1849-1930); his friend and colleague, Edith Thayer Cromwell (1893-1962); and his archrival, Brechtholdt Streeruwitz (1890-1973).
Mark Beard (1956-) was born and raised in Salt Lake City. His portraits, nudes, bronzes, and handcrafted books have been exhibited worldwide, and he has also designed more than twenty theatrical sets in New York, London, and Germany. His works are in numerous museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut; and the Princeton, Harvard, and Yale University Museums, among many others.