Leon Gilmour

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Leon Gilmour
Born(1907-07-25)July 25, 1907
Riga, Russian Empire (now Latvia)
DiedMarch 31, 1996(1996-03-31) (aged 88)
Burlingame, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
EducationSchool of Practical Art,
Otis College of Art and Design
Occupation(s)Designer, visual artist, illustrator, art director, printmaker
Years active1930s–1980s
Known forWood engraving
MovementRegionalism, Social realist
SpouseHelen Bernice Gilmour

Leon Gilmour (1907–1996) was a Russian Empire-born American visual artist, designer, teacher, illustrator, and laborer. He is best known for his social realist, wood engravings featuring laborers, or the California landscape and nature. His work is often associated with the Regionalist artists.

Biography[edit]

Leon Gilmour was born on July 25, 1907, in Riga, Russian Empire (now Latvia).[1] He immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island in March 1916, at the age of nine.[2]

Early in his career he studied at the School of Practical Art in Boston (now Lesley University).[3] Gilmour held a series of labor jobs in order to support himself, including working as a: construction worker in New York City, field hand in the Midwest, gold miner in Colorado, and as a truck driver in Los Angeles, California.[2] In 1931, Gilmour moved to Los Angeles to attend Otis College of Art and Design and studied wood engraving with artist Paul Landacre.[4][5] In 1933 he worked for Public Works of Art Project and later for the through the succeeding government program, the Federal Art Project (FAP).[2]

He taught classes at the University of Southern California and had later careers as a designer, illustrator, and art director.[6] In 1951, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to act as art director for the H.S. Crocker Lithography Company.[7] He was a member of the American Artist's Congress.[6] Together with his wife Helen they had a son, Lawrence Gilmour.[8]

Death and legacy[edit]

Gilmour died on March 31, 1996, in Burlingame, California.[1][9]

Gilmour is included in Edan Milton Hughes book, "Artists in California, 1786–1940".[7] His son Lawrence and a grandson, Zach Gilmour, are printmakers in Northern California.[3][8]

Collections[edit]

Gilmour's artwork is featured in many public art collections and museums, including: Smithsonian American Art Museum,[9] Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) within the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts department,[10] Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,[11] National Gallery of Art,[12] Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri–St. Louis,[13] San Jose Museum of Art,[14] Columbus Museum of Art,[15] New Britain Museum of American Art,[16] Flint Institute of Arts,[17] and many others.

Exhibitions[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Leon Gilmour Biography". Annex Galleries Fine Prints. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Francey, Mary. "American Printmakers and the Federal Art Project". Artist Essays: FAP Printmakers. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Rippee, Larry; Rea, Molly (June 28, 2011). "Interview with printmakers Lawrence and Zach Gilmour". Larry Rippee and Molly Rea Art. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "Leon Gilmour Biography". International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA). 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  5. ^ American Scenes: WPA-Era Prints from the 1930s and 1940s. La Salle University Art Museum. 2014. p. 90. ISBN 9780988999923.
  6. ^ a b "Volcanic Rock | New England Art Exchange". neartexchange.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Artist Biography for Leon Gilmour". Askart.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Liberatore, Paul (July 12, 2010). "Forest Knolls man follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather as a printmaker". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Leon Gilmour". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  10. ^ "Leon Gilmour". FAMSF Explore the Art. May 8, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  11. ^ "Collection: Cement Finishers". Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  12. ^ "Collection: Let the Living Rise". National Gallery of Art (NGA). Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  13. ^ "Collection". University of Missouri–St Louis.
  14. ^ "Collection: Gilmour". San Jose Museum of Art. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  15. ^ "Embark Collection". Columbus Museum of Art. January 27, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  16. ^ "Collection: Cement Finishers". New Britain Museum of Art.
  17. ^ "Cement Finishers". Flint Institute of Arts. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  18. ^ Villarreal, Ignacio. "California in Relief: A History in Wood and Linocut Prints at Hearst Art Gallery". artdaily.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  19. ^ "California history in print". East Bay Times. August 5, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  20. ^ Upchurch, Michael (January 17, 2014). "Davidson Galleries' 'Wood Engraving Invitational'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  21. ^ Edalatpour, Jeffrey (December 20, 2017). "San Jose Museum of Art: 'Crossroads'". Metroactive. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  22. ^ "Exhibitions + Collection, Crossroads: American Scene Prints from Thomas Hart Benton to Grant Wood". San José Museum of Art. August 28, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  23. ^ "Crossroads: American Scene Prints from Thomas Hart Benton to Grant Wood". MutualArt.com. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
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