Edward Dugmore (1915-1996), an American abstract expressionist, produced art that was spontaneous and uninhibited by intellectual considerations. The composition of his paintings is based on large interlocking areas of relatively flat color that evoke associations to peeling walls, maps, horse hides, geological strata, and polished sections of minerals. In 1948, Dugmore took advantage of the G. I. Bill and moved out west to San Francisco to further his studies in art at the California School of Fine Arts, where he studied with Clyfford Still, who was influential on his development, both as an artist and a close friend. The Howard Wise Gallery first exhibited his work in Cleveland in 1960, followed by two solo shows in New York in 1961 and 1963.
Edward Dugmore (1915-1996)
1915 Edward Dugmore is born in Hartford, Connecticut.
1934-38 Attends the Hartford Art School, where he studies the work of the Old Masters.
1938 Marries Edith Oslund.
1941 Spends the summer studying with Thomas Hart Benton at the Kansas City Art Institute.
1942 His daughter Linda is born.
1943 Joins the Marine Corps.
1948-50 Studies at the California School of Fine Arts, San Francisco under the G.I. Bill. While there he is influenced by Clyfford Still and meets Ernst Briggs.
1949 Is a founding member of the Metart Gallery, San Francisco.
1950 His first solo exhibition is held at the Metart Gallery, San Francisco.
1951-52 Attends the University of Guadalajara, Mexico. Receives his M.F.A.
1952 Moves to New York.
1953 His first solo exhibition in New York is held at the Stable Gallery.
1960s His work is regularly exhibited at the Howard Wise Gallery, New York.
1964-74 Serves as part-time faculty at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn.
1970 Is a visiting artist at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
1970s Regular exhibitions of his work are held at the Green Mountain Gallery.
1972 Is a visiting artist at the Des Moines Art Center and Drake University.
1973-82 Serves as a part-time Instructor of Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore.
1976 Is awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant.
1980 Receives an American Academy and Institute of Art and Letters Award.
1990s Exhibitions of his work are held at the Manny Silverman Gallery, Los Angeles.
1993 Moves to Minneapolis.
1995 Receives a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant.
1996 Dies of lung cancer on June 13 in Minneapolis.
