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Ad Code: 4
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"Centre Alley, Buffalo, NY #6"
1926, etching, 5-3/8 x 6.75", signed lower left, part of Schwanekamp's "Alley Series"
Artwork images are copyright of the artist or assignee
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Biography from Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc.:
| William J. Schwanekamp (American, 1893-1970) artist, etcher,
printmaker, painter, designer and lecturer best known for his ‘Buffalo
Alley’ series of etchings in the 1920-30’s, and of aging buildings,
market scenes and landscapes. He was a prominent member of the
Buffalo Print Club and served as president in 1953. Of all the
Buffalo Print Club members, there were only three artists who truly
stood out above the rest in the field of printmaking, Kevin O’Callahan
(American, 1902-1977) who was perhaps the finest printmaker, along with
master draughtsman, Niels Yde Andersen (Danish-American, 1888-1952) and
William J. Schwanekamp. A few of Schwanekamp’s etchings were even
offered through the Buffalo Print Club’s subscription of prints;
“Pickard Alley, Coon Town, Buffalo, 1933” (1936), and “Booth Alley, No.
2, Buffalo, NY, 1936” (1943).
In a letter to Schwanekamp from
the artist Charles Ephraim Burchfield (American, 1893-1967) in regards
to his Buffalo Alley series of etchings he wrote, “Now I have a
particular ‘excuse’ to write and that is your alley etchings. I like
them very much. If you were here I would slap you on the back & say
‘attaboy’. Seriously, I am enthusiastic about not only the way you
handled them but the very fact that you do them. They are Buffalo to
the core—not just vaguely American but expressive of the one particular
city. As you say what need to run abroad for hackneyed subjects? A
man’s material is at his doorstep or should be, and you are proving it.” [1]
As
a young man, Schwanekamp worked as a sign painter and earned enough
money to study at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy under Ernest George
Fosbery (Canadian, 1874-1960). Schwanekamp later studied at the Boston
Museum of Fine Arts under Philip Leslie Hale (American, 1865-1931),
William McGregor Paxton (American, 1969-1941) and W. James (Unknown,
-), and earned his tuition by lettering boats in the Boston harbor.
After schooling he retuned to Buffalo, NY in 1915.
Beginning in
1910 he was also an active member in the Saturday Sketch Club out of
Spring Brook, NY. Other notable Buffalo artists in the Saturday Sketch
Club were life-long friends J.J. Lankes (American, 1884-1960) who
founded the Club in 1910, Edgar Kowalski (American, 1891-1968), and the
well known instructor of the Buffalo Arts Guild School Ernest George
Fosbery (Canadian, 1874-1960) who taught there twice a week, among
several others. In addition, Schwanekamp was also a member of the
Buffalo Society of Artists and served as President from 1939-41, the
Artists Guild of Buffalo, the Patteran Society, the Arts Club of
Buffalo and served as Secretary in 1916, the American Artists
Professional League, and the Northwest Printmakers.
For many
years beginning circa 1919, Schwanekamp worked for the well known
international advertising agency Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn
(BBDO, previously Barton, Durstine and Osborn) out of their Buffalo,
NY, office and later became their production manager and art director.
His office was located in downtown Buffalo and the city inspired many
of the subjects for his prints. Schwanekamp retired in 1958 and lived
in Eggertsville, NY until his death in 1970.
“Today,
Schwanekamp’s prints are looked upon as historical documents as much as
they are appreciated for their aesthetic value. Many of the alleys no
longer exist. By current standards the prints exhibit American Realist
qualities that call up strains of social criticism; however,
Schwanekamp found a picturesque beauty in his subjects that he wanted
to share in elegantly drawn etchings.” [2]
Artist Statement:
“Art
must bear a message and the message must be convened in a manner simple
and direct. There is beauty in volume and solid form but the final
results are not achieved by exaggeration but by simplification.” [3] -William J. Schwanekamp
Chronology:
1893- Born, August 27, Buffalo, NY.
1910- Became a member of the Saturday Sketch Club, Spring Brook, NY.
1911-
Exhibited, February, group show, Saturday Sketch Club, in the rooms of
the Buffalo Camera Club, Buffalo, NY. December, Exhibited, group show,
Saturday Sketch Club, in the rooms of the Buffalo Camera Club, Buffalo,
NY.
Circa 1911-1915- Studied at the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy
under Ernest George Fosbery (Canadian, 1874-1960) who also taught twice
a week at the Saturday Sketch Club, Spring Brook, NY. Schwanekamp
continued his studies at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts under Philip
Leslie Hale (American, 1865-1931), William McGregor Paxton (American,
1969-1941) and W. James (Unknown, -), and earned his tuition by
lettering boats in the Boston harbor.
1915- Returned to Buffalo, NY.
Circa
1919- Began working for the well known international advertising firm
Barton, Durstine and Osborn (BDO, later known in 1928 as Batten,
Barton, Durstine, and Osborn [BBDO]), at their offices in Buffalo, NY,
working for them for many years and later became their production
manager and art director. Exhibited, spring, group show, “21st Annual
Exhibition by the Buffalo Society of Artists”, seven pictures by
Schwanekamp were shown, Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, December, group show,
(Prize, Honorable Mention), Iroquois Hotel, Buffalo, NY.
1916-
Served as Secretary of the Arts Club of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, and was
residing at 60 Brooklyn Avenue, Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, summer, group
show, “First Exhibit”, 59 pieces of paintings and sculpture by the Arts
Club were shown, Broderick Galleries, Buffalo Arts Club, Buffalo, NY.
1922-
Exhibited, group show, “The Seventh Annual Exhibition of Contemporary
Bookplates”, which comprised of 222 designs for bookplates by 75
different artists with all entries limited to designs done in 1921,
National Arts Club, NYC.
1924- Exhibited, February-March, group
show, “An Exhibition of Etchings: Under the Management of the Chicago
Society of Etchers”, one etching shown “November”, The Art Institute of
Chicago, IL. By this time Schwanekamp was residing at 76 Springville
Road in Eggerstville, NY. Exhibited, April, group show, “The Second
Annual Exhibition of the Buffalo Salon of Independent Artists”, the
Browning King & Company building, 570 Main Street, Buffalo, NY.
1925-
Exhibited, January-March, group show, “An Exhibition of Etchings: Under
the Management of the Chicago Society of Etchers”, one Schwanekamp
etching shown “Pleasant Valley Saloon”, The Art Institute of Chicago,
IL.
1933- Exhibited, Albright Art Gallery (now the Albright-Knox Art Gallery), Buffalo, NY.
1938-
Exhibited, spring, group show, “The Second National Print Show of the
Buffalo Print Club”, Buffalo Print Club, 259 prints shown from 118
different artists in 3 galleries, with 30 contributions by 10 Club
members, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, Albright Art
Gallery (Prize), Buffalo, NY. Exhibited, group show, “The Great Lakes
Art Exhibition”, a watercolor by Schwanekamp was shown titled “After
Rain (Eggerstville, NY)”, Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, NY.
1939-41- Was President of the Buffalo Society of Artists, Buffalo, NY.
1940-
January, gave a lecture titled “Art at Work”, while working as the Art
Director for Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn, sponsored by the
Advertising Club of Syracuse, held at the Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts,
Syracuse, NY.
1953- Became President of the Buffalo Print Club, Buffalo, NY.
1958- Retired, Eggertsville, NY.
1960- Exhibited, summer, etchings shown, (unknown location), Buffalo, NY.
1970- Died, January 25, at the age of 76 years old, Eggerstville, NY.
1988-
Fall, exhibited, group show, “Kevin B. O’Callahan and The Buffalo Print
Club”, Burchfield Art Center, ten Schwanekamp etchings were shown,
“Along the Towpath” (#4, 1930), “Autumn” (1923), “Booth Alley” (#12,
1922), “Booth Alley” (#2, 1927), “Centre Alley” (#1, 1926), “Chippewa
Market” (#7, 1923), “Jackson Alley, Buffalo” (AKA “Snow and Shacks”,
1930), “Keep Alley” (undated), “Kremlin Alley” (#1, 1926), and “Pickard
Alley” (#1, 1933), Buffalo, NY.
2001- Exhibited, retrospective
show, “William J. Schwanekamp Lanes and Alleys”, etchings and graphite
on paper pieces shown, Daemon College, Fanette Goldman/Carolyn
Greenfield Gallery, Duns Scotus Hall, 4380 Main Street, Buffalo, NY.
2003-
Spring, Retrospective group exhibition, “The Buffalo Print Club”, 72
prints by 7 former Buffalo Print Club members (William J. Schwanekamp,
Kevin B. O’Callahan, Niels Yde Andersen, Carlo Nisita, Rixford U.
Jennings, Julius Richter, and Jack Stewart), with four etchings shown
by Schwanekamp “Keep Alley” (1925), “Cowlesville, N.Y. Xmas 1927”,
untitled-‘Winter Road’ (Xmas 1937), and an untitled-‘Buffalo Alley’
(1922), from the print collection of the Estate of Rodger Sweetland,
Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY. Exhibited, fall, group show,
“On The Barwalls: Invisible Archives Vol. 4: 120 Years of Landscape,
Selections from the Collection of Gerald Mead, Part 2”, Hallwalls
Contemporary Art Center, Buffalo, NY.
2004-2005- December
14-July 6, exhibited, group show, “The Art of Printmaking”, at The
M&T Center in Downtown Buffalo, curated by the Burchfield-Penney
Art Center, some of Schwanekamp’s alley series etchings were shown,
Buffalo, NY.
2006- Exhibited, spring/summer, group show,
“Think Ink: Prints from the Burchfield-Penney’s Collection”, curator
Peter Sowiski, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Buffalo State College,
Buffalo, NY.
Memberships: Buffalo Society of Artists (President,
1939-41), Buffalo, NY; Artists Guild, Buffalo, NY; Buffalo Print Club
(President, 1953), Albright Art Gallery (basement, later at Kevin B.
O’Callahan’s home circa 1940 at 620 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY),
Buffalo, NY; Patteran Society, Buffalo, NY; American Artists
Professional League, NYC; Arts Club of Buffalo (Secretary, 1916), 71
West Tupper Street, Buffalo, NY; Northwest Printmakers; Saturday Sketch
Club, Spring Brook, NY.
Awards: Group show, (Prize, Honorable
Mention), Iroquois Hotel, Buffalo, NY; Western New York Annual, (Prize,
1935), Buffalo, NY; Albright Art Gallery (Prize, 1938), Buffalo, NY.
Collections:
Library of Congress, Permanent Collection, three etchings “Booth Alley,
no.2, Buffalo, NY” (1943), “Winter” (1935), and “Pickard Alley, Coon
Town, Buffalo” (1936), purchased in 1936 (the first from the Buffalo
Print Club through the Pennell Fund, named after the American
printmaker Joseph Pennell [1857-1926]), Washington, DC; Albright Knox
Art Gallery, Permanent Collection, Buffalo, NY; Buffalo Print Club,
Buffalo, NY; University of Richmond Museums, Joel and Lila Harnett
Museum of Art, Permanent Collection, Richmond, VA.
Galleries: Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY.
Publications: American Art Annual,
Vol. VIII, 1910-11, Florence N. Levy (Editor), American Art Annual,
Inc., NYC, “Art Schools in the United States”, for the illustration,
“Drawing from the Antique: By Wm. J. Schwanekamp, Art School of the
Albright Art Gallery. Buffalo, N.Y.”, pg. 27, Copyright 1911; The Buffalo Express (Morning Edition), “Exhibition of Outdoor Painting By The Saturday Sketch Club.”, Saturday morning, December 9, unknown Pg. no., 1911; The Buffalo Express (Morning Edition),
“Larger Than Ever Before: 21st Annual Exhibition by the Society of
Artists Opens This Afternoon”, Saturday morning, April 10, unknown Pg.
no., 1915; The Buffalo Express (Morning Edition), “Local
Artists Exhibit: Showing of Paintings and Illustrations at the Iroquois
Hotel”, Thursday morning, December 9, unknown Pg. no., 1915; The Illustrated Buffalo Express (Morning Edition), Social Calendar section, “The Starlight Fantasia”, unknown date (circa August), unknown page no., 1916; The Illustrated Buffalo Express (Morning Edition),
World of Society section, “Exhibition by the Arts Club”, September 10,
Pg. B8?, 1916; American Art Annual, Vol. XIII, Florence N. Levy
(Editor), The American Federation of Arts, Washington, DC, “New York
State: Buffalo-Sculpture Exhibition, Albright Art Gallery”, pg. 217,
for 1916, Copyright 1917; The Bookplate Annual for 1922, “The Seventh
Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Bookplates”, edited by Alfred Fowler,
Kansas City, The Torch Press, Cedar Rapids, IA, pg. 35, 1922;
books.google.com, online digitized book pictorial, Soviet Russia:
Official Organ of the Friends of Soviet Russia, Volumes 6-7, Russian
Soviet Government Bureau, NYC, Relief Contributions section, May 1-15,
Pg. 307, (Contribution made $12.50, Rec. #8862), June 1, 1922; An
Exhibition of Etchings: Catalogue of an Exhibition of Etchings Under
the Management of the Chicago Society of Etchers, The Art Institute of
Chicago, Pgs. 41 & 48, 1924; The Buffalo Morning Express,
“Independent Salon Canvases Placed on Exhibition”, Friday, April 4, Pg.
9, 1924; An Exhibition of Etchings: Catalogue of an Exhibition of
Etchings Under the Management of the Chicago Society of Etchers, The
Art Institute of Chicago, Pgs. 32 & 43, 1925; The Buffalo Courier-Express, “How an Etching is Made”, included in one of the photos in the studio at the Albright Art Gallery, Sunday, April 26, 1936; Rochester Democrat and Chronicle,
“From An Outstanding Visiting Exhibition Of Art”, with picture of a
W.J. Schwanekamp watercolor painting, “After Rain (Eggerstville, NY)”,
Sunday December 4, 1938; newspaperarchive.com, online digitized
newspaper, Syracuse Herald-Journal, unknown article title, January 22,
1940; Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, “2,300 Entries Judged in School
Art Contest”, Sunday, February 15, Pg. 8B, 1948; Niagara Falls Gazette, “House Need Fixing?”, Tuesday, April 14, Pg. 5, 1953; Buffalo Courier-Express, “Schwanekamp’s Etchings Provide Delightful Show”, by Anne McIlhenney, September 2, 1960; Kevin B. O’Callahan and The Buffalo, Print Club,
Burchfield Art Center, Buffalo State College Foundation, Pgs. 24, 28,
77-83, 87, 105, 108-09, 116, and 121-22, Buffalo, NY, Partners Press
Inc., Buffalo, NY, 1988; Who was Who in American Art 1564-1975, Vol. II, by Peter Hastings Falk Editor-in-Chief, 1999; The Woodcut Art of J.J. Lankes,
By Welford Dunaway Taylor, Published by David R, Godine, Jaffrey, NH,
Printed by Daamen, Inc., West Rutland, VT, Bound by New Hampshire
Bindery, Concord, NH, Pgs. 1, 4, 62, 111 & 112, 1999; Exhibit
catalog, The Buffalo Print Club: The Print Collection of the Estate of Rodger Sweetland, by Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc., S & G Press, East Aurora, NY, 2003.
(Rewritten
in parts & compiled chronologically by Mark Strong of Meibohm Fine
Arts, Inc., East Aurora, NY, 08/2010, Sources: Too long to list here
and are furnished upon request.)
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