Lot 102: Jack Berkman (NC, 1908-1999), "Tow-Heads"

Jack Berkman (NC, 1908-1999), "Tow-Heads" oil on canvas, signed and dated at lower right "Berkman / '68," retaining an original sales label on the verso listing Berkman's address as 518 Jefferson Street in Greensboro, housed in the original distressed wood frame.
Jack Berkman's artistic career began at age twelve when he started drawing cartoons, and at fourteen several of them were published by the Washington Post. He was born April 1908 in Washington, D.C. and after attending public schools in Washington, Jack Berkman was accepted at the conservative Corcoran School of Art in the city. He was awarded two Tiffany Foundation Art Scholarships while at Corcoran, and also studied at George Washington University. After a three year sojourn with the military during WWII, Berkman and his wife moved to New Mexico where he continued his studies and also taught art in Taos. He returned to NC not long thereafter and taught at Guilford College, where this painting was likely completed, before settling in Wilmington in 1974. He is best known for his figural works and this painting in particular captures the emotional state of his subjects in a more "modern" and abstracted manner, while still maintaining a draftsmanship sensibility.
SS 46 x 20 in.; DOA 53.75 x 28 in.