Robert Reed (artist)


Robert James Reed Jr. born in Charlottesville, Virginia was an American artist and Professor of Painting and Printmaking at Yale University School of Art for 45 years. Reed is known for his geometric abstraction and personalized symbols to create a language of abstraction. In his painting, he employs abstract symbols, color and deeply textured brushwork to create his iconic imagery. His work includes paintings, drawings, monotypes, prints and collages.

Early life and education

Reed was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1938. He graduated with a B.A. from Morgan State, in Baltimore, MD in 1958 and earned a B.F.A. and M.F.A. at Yale School of Art.

Career

Reed's career as an art educator began as an Assistant Professor at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1962. This was followed by his appointment as Assistant Professor at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY from 1965-1969.
Reed's 45 year teaching career at the Yale School of Art began in 1969 as Assistant Professor of Painting followed by appointment as Professor of Painting in 1987 until his death in 2014.
Reed served as juror or curator for numerous shows including Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, CT., in New Canaan, CT, and Artspace in New Haven, CT.
Reed was a Guest Artist and lecturer at over 60 colleges and universities throughout the country and in Europe.
He authored several art education programs including Acre, Spokane, WA.; Site, Cancun. Mx; SIX: Summer Experiment; Saratoga, NY.; and The Institute for Studio Studies, Auvillar, France.
He served on the Board of Directors of Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts 2010-2012; the MacDowell Colony, 1987-1990, and Virginia Center for Creative Arts.

Collections, awards, and exhibitions

Reed's works are in the permanent collections of a number of museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; National Academy Museum, New York; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.; Fralin Museum of Art, Charlottesville, Va.; Ogden Museum of Southern Art; New Orleans; and the Martin Museum of Art, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, among others.
His work was also included among the 407 artists exhibited in the inaugural exhibition for the new Whitney Museum of American Art, May - September, 2015, America Is Hard To See.
Reed is the recipient of a number of awards and honors including:
In recognition of Reed's contribution to undergraduate teaching, the Robert Reed Scholarship Fund at the Yale School of Art was established and the Yale School of Art building, GO1 classroom was named in his honor as the "Robert Reed Studio" where Reed's admonition to his basic drawing students is inscribed at the entry "Drawing is a search, not a destination".
In further recognition of his contribution to the Yale School of Art, a solo retrospective exhibition of his work was held in 2015, "Robert Reed: Non-Stop Painting", curated by Robert Storr, former Dean, Yale School of Art.

Personal life

Reed was a member of the Alpha Iota chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity since 1956 having served as president of his line.
Reed died of cancer in New Haven, Connecticut on December 26, 2014.