YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Butler Institute of American Art has been gifted a major painting by Josef Albers, a German-born American who is considered one of the most influential 20th-century artists.
“Homage on the Square” (1957), an oil-on-Masonite work, is a gift of William and Linda Roemer of the Pittsburgh area and was donated in memory of Roemer’s parents, James and Helen Roemer.
It is now on display in the Beeghly-Schaff Gallery on the first floor of the Butler, near Clyde Singer’s “The Flower Vendor” and two pieces by Robert Motherwell.
Louis A. Zona, director emeritus of the museum, described Albers as a great artist and an educator who influenced other acclaimed painters.
“Albers’ role in the history of American art of the post-World War II era is a monument to his genius as both a great artist and a great teacher,” Zona said. “One might say that Albers’ ‘handwriting’ can be seen in the works of all the artists he has touched.”
In his own work, Albers (1888-1976) investigated color theory and composition. He began to explore mathematical proportions to achieve balance and unity in his art.
An abstract painter and theorist, Albers is best known for his series Homage to the Square, in which he explored chromatic interactions with nested squares, meticulously recording the colors used. The piece given to The Butler is part of that series.
Albers taught at the Bauhaus, a German art school that combined crafts and the fine arts, from 1923-1933. He immigrated to the U.S. after the Nazis forced the closing of the Berlin
Bauhaus and introduced Bauhaus concepts of art and design to the newly formed experimental community of Black Mountain College in North Carolina.
At Black Mountain, Albers taught students who would later go on to become prominent artists, including Robert Rauschenberg and Ruth Asawa.
After his tenure at Black Mountain, he became the chairman of the Department of Design at Yale University, where he instructed Op Art pioneer Julian Stanczak.
The gifted painting is not the first major work donated to The Butler by the Roemers. In 2009, the couple donated a painting by acclaimed abstract artist Jackson Pollock.
William’s father, James Roemer, was well-known in the region’s steel industry. He was president and, later, chairman of Sharon Steel; president of Shenango Metalcraft; and president of Roemer Industries. He was also a trustee of The Butler.
Pictured at top: Louis Zona, left, director emeritus of The Butler Institute of American Art, and William Roemer stand before the Josef Albers painting that Roemer has given to the museum.