With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Horace Clifford (H. C.) Westermann
Sculpture
1922 – 1981
From the late 1950s on, Westermann worked with a variety of materials to create sculptures that spoke against militarism and materialism.
- Biography/Description of Work
During his childhood, Westermann developed an interest in carpentry and wood working. He studied at Los Angeles City College, worked briefly as a logger, served in the Marines during WWII, and later performed an acrobatic act with the USO traveling in the Far East. In 1947, returning to the States, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago where he studied advertising design. Westermann served in the Marines again during the Korean War and was discharged in 1952. He and his second wife, painter Joanne Beall, daughter of graphic designer, Lester Beall, Sr., settled in Brookfield in the 1960s. Together they designed and built their home between 1969 and 1981. It is considered a work of art, handcrafted with many unique hand-carved and personal details. Westermann’s scultures were exhibited at Mandel Brothers Art Galleries and the National College of Education in Wilmette. He was also represented by the Allan Frumkin Gallery, and his first collector was Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
- Sources view
- Glueck, Grace. 'HC Westermann, Sculptor, Is Dead.' New York Times, November 5, 1981. Accessed January 13, 2015 http://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/05/obituaries/hc-westermann-sculptor-is-dead.html, Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015, Smart Museum of Art. ‘Your Pal, Cliff: Selection from the H. C. Westermann Study Collection,’ University of Chicago: April 2-September 6, 2009.
- Associated Resource(s)