This biography from the Archives of AskART:
|  Known primarily for his murals, Edgar Britton was also a painter in oil
and watercolor and a sculptor in bronze. His work, with
"simplified, weighty forms", (Kennedy 95) was obviously influenced
by the social-realist style of the Mexican muralists including Diego
Rivera, Jose Orozco, and David Siqueiros.
Britton was born in Kearney, Nebraska and studied at the University of Iowa and with Grand Wood from 1920 to 1924.
His
reputation was established during the Depression years when he did
numerous paintings and murals for the Federal Art Project including
serving as Director from 1940 to 1941 of the mural division of the
Illinois Art Project. His fresco work, completed for the Works
Progress Administration, is in the Waterloo, Iowa Post Office; and
Chicago Heights, Illinois at Bloom High School. On June 3, 1982,
it was named the first high school in Illinois to be a National
Historic site, in part because of the Edgar Britton's frescoes, which
are in the entrance of the building and on other walls throughout Bloom
High School. (Information from Roland Ramirez, 1982 graduate of Bloom
High School).
Because he had tuberculosis, his doctor advised him
to go to Colorado, which he did in the mid 1940s, and he stayed there
the remainder of his life and focused primarily on creating
sculpture. He also taught art at the Fountain Valley School for
boys and the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center. From 1967 to 1971,
he was a member of the Fine Arts Commission of Denver, and he served as
President of the Artists Equity in Colorado Springs.
Art exhibitions:
"The
Lyrical Line: Edgar Britton's Passion for the Human Figure." Colorado
Springs Fine Arts Center. 20 January-13 May 2001.
"The Erotic Art of Edgar Britton," Coburn Gallery, Colorado College. 28 March -18 April, 2001.
Reviews of book and exhibitions:
Joanne Ditmer, "Brazen bronze: Book spotlights Britton's graceful local figures." Denver Post. 4 June 2001.
Michael Paglia, "Mind and Body: Edgar Britton's legacy is rediscovered." Westword. 12-18 April, 2001.
Mark Arnest, "Exhibits show Britton's work is both erotic, innocent." The Gazette. Colorado Springs, 6 April 2001.
Mary Chandler, "Work celebrates human body." Rocky Mountain News. 25 March 2001.
John Hazlehurst, "Tracing the Lyrical Line." The Independent. Colorado Springs, 18-24 January 2001.
Sources include:
Louise Dunn Yochim, Role and Impact: The Chicago Society of Artists
Elizabeth Kennedy, Chicago Modern, 1893-1945
Exhibition and book review information courtesy of Jane Hilberry
Roland Ramirez, Chicago Heights, Illinois
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|  Born Kearney, NE, Apr. 15, 1901; died Denver, CO, Apr. 1982. Painter. Teacher. Sculptor. Studied at the University of Iowa; University of Kansas, Lawrence with Karl Mattern and Albert Bloch. Taught at Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. WPA mural artist. | Source:
COLLECTIONS:
Art Institute of Chicago; Denver Art Museum; Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center; University of Nebraska; Dept. of Interior Building, Washington, DC.
MEMBERSHIPS:
Chicago Society of Artists.
SOURCES:
Susan Craig, "Biographical Dictionary of Kansas Artists (active before 1945)"
AskArt, www.askart.com, accessed Aug. 10, 2006; http://www.wpamurals.com/wpabios.html#B, accessed Aug. 10, 2006 | | This and over 1,750 other biographies can be found in Biographical Dictionary of Kansas Artists (active before 1945) compiled by Susan V. Craig, Art & Architecture Librarian at University of Kansas. |
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