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Colorado, n.d., oil on canvas, 20” x 21”
A painter and printmaker, Gordon Cook (1927-1985) became active in the Bay Area California art scene from the time he was married to abstract painter Joan Brown in the 1970s. In fact, Brown painted a portrait of the two of them posed with their dog in the formal garden of the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.
His early paintings were small in size, muted in color, and usually depicted single still-life subjects such as a box, a single flower or a wheel. These works were both very defined and quite expressive with impasto paint application.
Before then, his reputation was for printmaking, and after the 1970s, his focus turned to landscape painting, especially solitary buildings in the delta area of the Sacramento River. Cook has also painted floral still lifes, nudes, portraits and cityscapes.
Cook was born in Chicago and attended Illinois Wesleyan University, earning a B.F.A. in 1950; He also attended the State University of Iowa in Iowa City.
His work is in the collection of the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.
Source: ASKART
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
1927 Born October 3 in Chicago to Walter Raleigh Cook and Etta Stevens Cook.
1945 Attends Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, and graduates with B.F.A. in 1950.
1948-49 Fall and spring semesters, studies Fundamentals and Life Drawing at
The American Academy of Art, Chicago.
1949 Studies printmaking with Vera Berdich at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Marries Marilyn Wilson.
1950-51 Takes graduate courses and studies printmaking under Mauricio Lasansky at
the State University of Iowa, Iowa City.
1951 Moves to San Francisco.
1952-58 Works to receive journeyman’s card in International typographical Union, Local 21.
1952 December, Paul Wilson Cook born.
1953 Exhibits prints, drawings, and paintings at Porpoise Gallery, San Francisco.
1955 January, Matthew Scott Cook born. Illustrates Henry Miller’s The Smile at
the Foot of the Ladder
(San Francisco: The Greenwood Press, 1955).
Becomes charter member of Bay Printmakers Society and exhibits in their annual
exhibitions held at the Oakland Art Museum (1955-1960).
1956-63 Exhibits in San Francisco Art Association’s annual drawing and print exhibitions.
1959-62 Participates in first weekly drawing group with Alvin Light, Manuel Neri, Joan Brown,
and William H. Brown.
1960 Joins the Dolphin Swim and Boating Club, San Francisco.
1962-69 Teaches printmaking and drawing at San Francisco Art Institute.
1964 Exhibits etchings in one-man exhibition at Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts,
San Francisco.
1968 Resumes painting.
1969 October, marries painter Joan Brown. Moves to Rio Vista, California, and
participates in second drawing group with Manuel Neri, Joan Brown, and Robert Arneson.
1970 Exhibits paintings at Bolles Gallery and Lawson Galleries, San Francisco.
1970-71 Teaches printmaking at Sacramento State College (now California State University)
1971-73 Returns to San Francisco and teaches printmaking at Academy of Art College.
1972-74 Participates in third weekly drawing group with Joan Brown, Elmer Bischoff, and
George Lloyd.
1973-85 Exhibits with Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
1974 Discontinues printmaking.
1974-75 Teaches at San Francisco State College (now California State University) and
University of California, Davis.
1976-84 Organizes fourth weekly drawing group with Mark Adams, Beth Van Hoesen,
and Wayne Thiebaud (later joined by Theophilus Brown).
1977 September, marries Liadian O’Donovan, literary editor and mother of six-year-old
Michael O’Donovan Stewart.
1978 October, Kate O’Donovan Cook born.
1978-80 Works a driver and dispatcher for United Courier, Inc.; spends only limited hours
on his artwork.
1979 Moves to Union Street address, San Francisco, from where he begins painting and
drawing the Point Richmond gas tower.
Visiting lecturer at University of California, Davis.
1980-81 Private support group enables Cook to work solely on his artwork.
1982 Exhibits at Allan Stone Gallery, New York, with Wayne Thiebaud and David Beck.
1983 Teaches at Mills College and California College of Arts and Crafts, Oakland.
Suffers first heart attack.
1983-85 Resumes printmaking. Works on several print projects with Limestone Press
(Hank Hine), “made in California” (David Kelso), Teaberry Press (Tim Berry),
and Scott Green.
1984 Begins series of stick figure sculptures that soon appear in his paintings, drawings,
and prints.
1984-85 Paints and prints series of Amish dolls.
1985 Begins bronze sculpture project of stick figures with “made in California.”
Dies on August 5 in San Francisco.
SELECTED SOLO & TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2010 Gordon Cook Unseen, Works from a Family Collection, ArtZone 461 Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2010 Gordon Cook, A Retrospective of Real Magic, Bolinas Museum, Bolinas, CA
2010 Gordon Cook Paintings, Works on Paper, and Sculpture, Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2006 Paintings, Sculpture, Works on Paper, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 Works from the Estate, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1997 Manuel Neri - Gordon Cook, Campbell-Thiebeaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1992 Sketchbook Studies, Campbell-Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1991 Nathan Oliveira - Gordon Cook, Campbell-Thiebaud Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1988 Mostly Nudes, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1987 Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco, CA
A Retrospective, Oakland Art Museum, Oakland, CA
1985 Art Museum of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz, California. (cat.)
Figures, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
1984 Recent Works, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, California. The Point Richmond Series 1975-83 and Still Lifes.
Paintings, drawings, and prints.
Paintings and Sculpture, Pamela Auchincloss Gallery, Santa Barbara, California.
1983 The Delta Series, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
1982 Paintings, Asher/Faure, Los Angeles.
1981 Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
1980 Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
1979 Constructions and Drawings, Smith Andersen Gallery, Palo Alto, California.
1978 Plywood Cutouts and Drawings, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
1977 California State Stanislaus Art Gallery, Turlock.
1976 Paintings, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
1975 Etchings, Paintings, and Drawings, Van Straaten Gallery, Chicago.
Kunsthandel M. O. de Boer, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
1973 Paintings and Drawings, Charles Campbell Gallery, San Francisco.
1971 Paintings, Lithographs, and Etchings, John Bolles Gallery, San Francisco.
1970 Paintings, Lawson Galleries, San Francisco.
1966 San Francisco Museum of Art. Etchings. (cat.)
1964 Etchings, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, California Palace of the Legion of Honor,
San Francisco.
1953 Paintings, Prints, and Drawings. Porpoise Gallery, San Francisco.
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