Biography
Born in Centerville, Iowa, Bromberg had talent that was recognized early in his life. At 16 he won a national competition that could have given him a scholarship to the Pratt Institute, but he opted instead to study at the Cleveland School of Art, following which he studied with Boardman Robinson and Henry Varnum Poor at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. In 1943 he was named an official war artist, and in this capacity accompanied the troops at Omaha Beach in June, 1944.Following the war, Bromberg taught at Salem College and North Carolina State University, where he worked with Buckminster Fuller in his efforts to construct geodesic domes and created a large mural for the student dining hall. By this time he had moved away from figurative painting, favoring abstract compositions and three-dimenionsal objects. This led ultimately to his monumental cliff sculptures, such as the one currently displayed at the Storm King Art Center. He completed this work while serving as a professor at the State University of New York at New Paltz. Currently he lives in Woodstock, New York.
Critical Analysis
Bromberg is an artist of astonishing vitality and longevity. His entire career has been marked by variety and experimentation, taking him from easel painting to murals to wartime field sketches to abstract constructions, and, finally, to monumental sculptures of nature.Murals
- Geneva, Illinois - Post Office: Fish Fry in the Park
- Tahlequah, Oklahoma - Former Post Office: Choctaw Ball-Play 1840
- Greybull, Wyoming - Post Office: Chuck Wagon Serenade
References
- Linda Girardi, Geneva to honor artist on his 102nd birthday for 1940 post office mural in city, Chicago Tribune March 1 (2019).
- Manuel Bromberg (Manuel Bromberg).
- Manuel Bromberg (Wikipedia).
- Manuel Bromberg (Storm King Art Center).
- Terry, Museum Celebrates Artist’s 103rd Birthday with Mural Dedication, Geneva History Museum March 2 (2020).
- Adam Levy, Snapshots of War, The Guardian May 15 (2004).