Remembering Roger Brown

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 » By James Connolly » See more posts from ALL THE NEWS

Roger Brown,

December 10, 1941 – November 22, 1997

Roger Brown’s magnanimous gifts continue to enrich SAIC in uncountable ways, and there are always new discoveries. We recently unpacked (from storage) eight carved and silver-painted panels of draped fabric with billowing folds. In a 1995 video we see them installed them in Roger’s studio and he explains that these lovely, enigmatic objects were panels from a hearse, found at a yard sale outside of Chicago. It was an epiphany of sorts, to find out what he chose to live with in his studio. The panels, muses perhaps, relate seamlessly to Roger’s’s aesthetic sensibility, recalling the theatre drapery from his early works, and the signature clouds that form the visual and conceptual backdrop for many paintings. Thank you Roger Brown.

Iva Louise Gamel

February 24, 1924 – November 20, 2011

Roger’s Aunt Iva was our adopted aunt and beloved friend of the RBSC. From the time Roger moved to Chicago in the early 1960s, Iva faithfully attended every single of Roger’s openings in the Chicago area, and she continued to travel to many RBSC events. She would always cheerfully talk with students, share memories, and otherwise function as a living archive.

Aunt Iva’s obituary can be read here

-Lisa Stone

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