Leon Gilmour

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

Leon Gilmour
Born
Leonhard Goldman

(1907-07-25)July 25, 1907
Riga, Russia
DiedMarch 31, 1996(1996-03-31) (aged 88)
Burlingame, California
Resting placeGlendale, California
Years active1930s–1980s
Known forWood engraving
MovementRegionalism, Social realist
Spouse(s)Helen Bernice Gilmour

Biography

Leon Gilmour was born on 25 July 1907 in Riga, Russia (now part of Latvia).[1] He emigrated 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.[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

Leon Gilmour died on 31 March 1996 in Burlingame, California[1][9] and is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale, California.[10]

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

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,[11] Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,[12] National Gallery of Art,[13] Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri–St. Louis,[14] San Jose Museum of Art,[15] Columbus Museum of Art,[16] New Britain Museum of American Art,[17] Flint Institute of Arts,[18] and many others.

Exhibitions
  • 2009 – California in Relief: A History in Wood and Linocut Prints at Hearst Art Gallery, curated by Art Hazelwood, Hearst Art Gallery at Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, California[19][20]
  • 2010 – Three Generations of California Printmakers: The Works of Leon, Lawrence and Zachary Gilmour, San Geronimo Valley Community Center, San Geronimo, California[8]
  • 2014 – International Wood Engraving Invitational, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, Washington[21]
  • 2017–2018 – Crossroads: American Scene Prints from Thomas Hart Benton to Grant Wood, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California[22][23][24]

References
  1. "Leon Gilmour Biography". Annex Galleries Fine Prints. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  2. Francey, Mary. "American Printmakers and the Federal Art Project". Artist Essays: FAP Printmakers. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  3. Rippee, Larry; Rea, Molly (2011-06-28). "Interview with printmakers Lawrence and Zach Gilmour". Larry Rippee and Molly Rea Art. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  4. "Leon Gilmour Biography". International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA). 2016. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  5. American Scenes: WPA-Era Prints from the 1930s and 1940s. La Salle University Art Museum. 2014. p. 90. ISBN 9780988999923.
  6. "Volcanic Rock | New England Art Exchange". neartexchange.com. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  7. "Artist Biography for Leon Gilmour". Askart.com. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  8. Liberatore, Paul (2010-07-12). "Forest Knolls man follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather as a printmaker". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  9. "Leon Gilmour". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  10. "Leon Gilmour (1907-1996)". Find A Grave Memorial. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  11. "Leon Gilmour". FAMSF Explore the Art. 2015-05-08. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  12. "Collection: Cement Finishers". Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  13. "Collection: Let the Living Rise". National Gallery of Art (NGA). Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  14. "Collection". University of Missouri–St Louis.
  15. "Collection: Gilmour". San Jose Museum of Art. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  16. "Embark Collection". Columbus Museum of Art. 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  17. "Collection: Cement Finishers". New Britain Museum of Art.
  18. "Cement Finishers". Flint Institute of Arts. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  19. Villarreal, Ignacio. "California in Relief: A History in Wood and Linocut Prints at Hearst Art Gallery". artdaily.com. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  20. "California history in print". East Bay Times. 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  21. Upchurch, Michael (2014-01-17). "Davidson Galleries' 'Wood Engraving Invitational'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  22. Edalatpour, Jeffrey (December 20, 2017). "San Jose Museum of Art: 'Crossroads'". Metroactive. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  23. "Exhibitions + Collection, Crossroads: American Scene Prints from Thomas Hart Benton to Grant Wood". San José Museum of Art. 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  24. "Crossroads: American Scene Prints from Thomas Hart Benton to Grant Wood". MutualArt.com. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
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