Robert S. Neuman (1926-2015) was an American painter and printmaker. Over the course of his six-decade career, he honed a distinctive style of abstract expressionism defined by a color-saturated aesthetic, painterly sensibility, and abiding sense of humanism. His prolific body of work is comprised of extended series of paintings with astonishingly varied subject matter. 

Neuman’s love of art took root in his parents’ hardware store in Kellogg, Idaho. He spent hours illustrating his favorite radio programs and used supplies from the shop to paint the nearby scenic vistas. In high school, his mother convinced the superintendent to allow him to take the only art course three times, a clandestine act that was unknown to him until he graduated from art school. He later called it “a godsend.” 

A graduate of the California College of the Arts, his style was heavily influenced by the Bay Area’s vibrant art scene and later by transformative visits to Germany and Spain on Fulbright and Guggenheim Fellowships. In the early 1950’s, he exhibited alongside influential painters such as Clyfford Still and Richard Diebenkorn while teaching in California. Their influence in Neuman’s work is evident in his expressive brushwork, bold
use of color, and love of painting large. 

In addition to his career as an artist, Neuman had a long
career as an educator. He taught at Brown and Harvard Universities, and Keene State College where he founded the school’s Art Department in 1972 and retired as Professor
Emeritas in 1992. 

Eight of the prints on view in this exhibition are from Neuman’s Pedazos del Mundo (Pieces of the World) series. These works depict worlds in fragments. Circular forms evoking our own earthly home are the basis of the series, with cascading, vibrating, and at times explosive shapes crowding their interior. The series pays homage to our world’s breathtaking cultural diversity. 

Each work is crafted using an array of techniques, from painting and stamping, to layering masking tape and other found materials. Each piece interacts with the others to build a vivid, bewildering world unto itself that prompts us to reflect on the pieces that make up our own. Also using these techniques, Journal of the Artist brings together themes from several of Neuman’s series including Mirage, Voyage, and Pedazos del Mundo. It provides a glimpse into the mind of the artist and further develops Neuman’s exploration of travel, landscape, and life’s journey.  

Neuman’s Ship to Paradise series is a sharp, modern take on Sebastian Brandt’s medieval best-seller Shype of Fooles. Prints in the series chronicle topsy-turvy medieval barques—manned by literal skeleton crews—sailing on an existential sea in search of paradise. This series rewards close looking; see what you can spot among the baggage carried by these motley crews and the cosmic waves they’re riding.  

This exhibition of prints is part of the Robert S. Neuman: Centennial Project. This year-long celebration invites audiences to rediscover Neuman’s boundless creativity through exhibitions, public programs, and new scholarship. Thank you for joining us to celebrate an artist whose curiosity and imagination continue to inspire new generations of viewers and makers. 

      Neuman’s works are in the collection of the MFA Boston, MOMA, Worcester Museum of Art, Carnegie Art Museum, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Bates College Museum of Art, Currier Art Museum, Hood Museum of Art, and many others.