September 17, 2004: Volume 62, Number 2

Bittleman drawings on exhibit in Mandeville Gallery

Drawings and prints by the late Arnold Bittleman, Union professor of art, will be on exhibit from August 26 through Oct. 10 at the Mandeville Gallery in the Nott Memorial.

The show is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit  http://www.union.edu/Gallery/ or call (518) 388-6004.

A nationally renowned artist, Bittleman (1933-1985) joined the Union College faculty in 1966 after teaching at Skidmore College, Parsons School of Design, and Yale University. He arrived at Union as the founding and only member of the Studio Arts faculty, and was an artist-in-residence and lecturer in the arts, initially declining the position of professor, and declining offers from Yale to return there to teach.

Bittleman, a very popular professor, was not interested in rank, or in the machinations of departments; he was interested in educating students and creating art. During his 20 years at the College, Bittleman taught drawing, painting, design, color theory, photography, and printmaking.  He was extremely active on campus, designing event posters, designing and advising for The Union Book, organizing concerts, film series, and lectures. In 1970 he received tenure and became a full professor.

His own work flowed slowly, carefully onward, and though he often had difficulty in finishing work, he exhibited widely and regularly.  His work was shown at numerous venues including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. His works are in a number of collections: the Museum of Modern Art; the Whitney Museum of American Art; the Brooklyn Museum; the Boston Museum of Fine Arts; Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, Utica, NY; the Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, Mass.; the Schenectady Museum; the Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock; and many others.

Bittleman grew up in the Bronx.  He attended James Monroe High School and the Rhode Island School of Design before receiving a B.F.A. (1956) and an M.F.A. (1958) from Yale University, where he studied with Josef Albers (about whom he later made the film To Open Eyes – on view in this exhibition). In 1983, Bittleman was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Despite his worsening illness, he continued to teach through the fall of 1984. He died April 7, 1985 at 51.

The show, previously at Gallery 100 in Saratoga Springs, was curated by Rachel Seligman, director of the Mandeville Gallery.

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