Reva Brooks (1913-2004)
Canadian-born photographer Reva Brooks lived out most of her life in Mexico. She and her artist husband, Leonard Brooks, moved there in 1947 and began their journey of exploring the vibrant Mexican culture through their art.
Reva's compelling photographs came to the attention of leading U.S. photographers Edward West-on and Ansel Adams. The image of a mother grieving the death of her child, "Confrontation, Elodia" gained Brooks recognition in Mexico, the U.S. and Europe. Edward Steichen bought this photograph for the Museum of Modern Art and it was part of one of the most influential photography exhibits in history,
"Family of Man", in 1955.
She was selected as one of the top 50 women photographers of all time by the San Francisco Art Museum in 1975. Henry (Hank) Kowert (1924 -1977)
Kowert was born in Chicago, and arrived in Oregon in the early 1950’s. He used a distinctive palette: tawny, golden, earthy shades, plus burning reds, acidic greens, and almost transparent blues.
He produced a small body of work because he was particular about what he released. He rarely allowed sketches or unfinshed pieces to be seen, even by close friends. He had many one-person shows and received numerous awards after 1959.
His specialty was Orgeon lanscapes, and he worked in oil watercolor and prints (sergraph), and became well-known for his silkscreen calendars. Manuel Izquierdo
Born in Madrid, Izquierdo came to America in 1942. He received his BFA at the Museum Art School in Portland, in 1951. He studied printmaking under William Givler and Louis Bunce.
He was a Professor of Art at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland from 1951-1997.
His sculpture and prints are in numerous collections throughout the Northwest. In Oregon, he regularly exhibits at the Laura Russo Gallery. Brian Lanker
Brian Lanker, who currently lives in Eugene, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist. His work for LIFE Magazine and Sports Illustrated has received numerous international awards.
His roots as a photographer began in newspaper photojournalism, for which he was twice named National Newspaper Photographer of the Year. He is recognized for his love of and versatility with a variety of subject matter and fields of photography.
Lanker is perhaps best known for his exhibition of portraits entitled, "I Dream A World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America." The debut of this exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. set attendance records for the 111 year old museum in the nation's capital. Currently, his book "I Dream A World" is in its 14th printing. Herbert Siebner (1925 - 2003)
Herbert Siebner was born to a cultured family in northern Germany. Though a most unlikely recruit, he was drafted into Hitler's army at the age of 17. He escaped, and ever after determined to survive. A student of the Expressionist painters in Berlin just after the Second World War, Herbert Siebner took his art past the realm of appearances, distilling and intensifying his imagery. It was as a vivid Modernist that he came in Victoria in 1954. Arriving penniless and without a working knowledge of English, Siebner (with his wife Hannelore) contributed greatly to a new art world around him in Victoria, where he met Jan and Judith Zach. His exploits as a jokester and a creator have become legendary.
He was said to be “the defining moment of the city’s [Victoria’s] art history” by Classic scholar Peter L. Smith. He is considered one of Canada’s most important painters and printmakers, and has had numerous one man shows and group exhibitions throughout Germany, France, the United States and Canada. |
