School of Visual Arts presents a retrospective exhibition of the work of Robert Frankenberg, illustrator, painter and longtime instructor at the School of Visual Arts. The exhibition will be on view at the Visual Arts Museum, 209 East 23rd Street, New York City from February 5 through March 19, 2005.

The retrospective—which includes over 60 paintings, drawings and watercolors—is drawn from the personal collection of Frankenberg’s widow, Mrs. Celestine Frankenberg. For her, the exhibition “shows how Robert would open a door, thinking he was going in one direction, but actually it would take him somewhere else. Besides honoring the life of my husband, I hope the exhibition will be like opening a window onto other things for students, and help them to see that, with training, they can do anything, they can open doors and follow to where it leads them.”

Frankenberg joined the staff of the Cartoonists & Illustrators School in 1948 (later to become the School of Visual Arts), and remained a beloved instructor there for more than 40 years. He served as the head of the Illustration Department for several years, and in 1984 won the Annual Distinguished Artist-Teacher of the Year Award. Frankenberg had the ability to make students see what he saw, but without specifically defining it for them. As Mrs. Frankenberg tells it, “he was not interested in teaching his students to draw like he did. He simply wanted to show them the principles for them to use in their own contexts, the importance of research, of learning from others and of expanding their interests.”

Outside of the classroom, Frankenberg had a successful career as a book illustrator, creating illustrations for more than 150 books, mainly for young readers. His work also appeared in Fortune, Saturday Evening Post, Medical Journal, Look, Woman’s Day, Life and Time, among others.

Frankenberg was not interested in proclaiming a personal style, and his facility as a draftsman allowed him to apply a variety of styles and techniques ranging from realistic to expressive to verging on the abstract. According to Francis Di Tommaso, director of exhibitions, “Robert Frankenberg never evinced any interest in being a star. For him, art was a serious profession, and he devotedly practiced it throughout his entire adult life with discipline and without fanfare. This exhibition is a tribute to him and a life in the arts well lived.”

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the College has instituted numerous educational innovations, including the selection of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields as instructors. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.

Exhibition

Robert Frankenberg

Visual Arts Museum