Tony Berlant

Anthony Hanna Berlant (born 1941) is an American artist who was born in New York City. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a BA (1961) and MA (1962) in painting and an MFA (1963) in sculpture. He has a large collection of Southwestern Native American art, especially Mimbres pottery and Navajo rugs.[1] He lives and works in Santa Monica, California.

Tony Berlant
Born
Anthony Hanna Berlant

1941 (age 81–82)
New York City, U.S.
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA, MA, MFA)
OccupationArtist
Years active1970–present
Spouse
Helen Méndez
​
(m. 1985)​
ChildrenKate Berlant
Baba's Door by Tony Berlant, Spalding House, Honolulu, collaged metal, 1988

Work

Berlant became known for his collages of found metal objects. More recently, he has used tin of his own manufacture, gaining control over the color.[1]

Mimbres pottery collection

Berlant was a founding member of the Mimbres Foundation, a Los Angeles-based archaeological conservancy attempting to protect vulnerable Mimbres sites.[2] The Mimbres Foundation also assembled the first photographic archive of all known Mimbres figurative pottery. This archive is currently maintained by the University of New Mexico.[3] Parts of the archive are available online.[4]

Berlant worked with archaeologist Steven A. LeBlanc and others in attempts to attribute Mimbres painted pottery to specific (but still anonymous) Native artists. Berlant and LeBlanc found that (in their opinions) a relatively small number of Mimbres artists made the majority of the ancient pottery, perhaps as few as 2 or 3 artists per village at any given time.[3] Berlant identified one prolific artist he called the "Rabbit Master," who painted rabbits in Figure-ground reversal. Examples are given in a later paper by Russell and Hegmon, which gives examples and photos of other ancient Mimbreño artists' work.[5]

Collections

Personal life

Berlant is Jewish.[11] He met performer, Helen Méndez, in a party in Detroit, in the 1970s, ten years later they met again in Los Angeles, and he recognized her immediately, the two married in 1985.[12] Their daughter is Kate Berlant.[13]

References
  • Brody, J. J. et al., Mimbres Pottery Ancient Art of the American Southwest with introduction by Tony Berlant, Hudson Hills Press, New York, 1983 ISBN 0933920466
  • Clothier, Peter, Tony Berlant: Recent Work 1982-1987, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, 1987 ISBN 0936429089
  • Fourcade, Xavier, Tony Berlant New Work 1985-1986, publisher: Xavier Fourcade, 1986
  • Fujinami, Josine & Niriko Fujinami, Individual Realities In The California Art Scene Exhibition, Sezon Museum of Art, Tokyo, May 11 - June 10, 1991 Text in English and Japanese Artists in the exhibit: Peter Alexander, Carlos Almarez, Tony Berlant, Laurie Brown, Suzanne Caporae Ianco-Starreles, Sezon Museum of Art, Tokyo, 1991
  • Holstein, Jonathan & Robert MacDonald, Artist's Quilts: Quilts by ten contemporary artists in collaboration with Ludy Strauss. Peter Alexander / Charles Arnoldi / Tony Berlant / Ron Cooper / Guy Dill / Laddie John Dill / Claire Falkenstein / Charles Garabedian / Craig Kauffman / Ken Price, La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, 1981
  • Honolulu Museum of Art, Spalding House: Self-guided Tour, Sculpture Garden, 2014, p. 2.
  • L A Louver Gallery, Tony Berlant: Recent Work, L.A. Louver, Los Angeles, 1988
  • L A Louver Gallery, Tony Berlant New Work 1990-93, L.A. Louver, 1993
  • Paul, Stella & Cheryl A. Brutvan, Tony Berlant: Recent Work, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas, 1982
  • Plake, Tony, Katherine Plake & Hough Berlant, Navajo Blankets from the Collection of Tony Berlant, Palm Springs Desert Museum, 1991
  • Plous, Phyllis, Sculptural Perspectives: An Exhibition of Small Sculptures of the 70s. Joel Shapiro - Judy Pfaff - Don Johnson - Tony Berlant - Thomas Bang, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1979
  • Sachs, Sid, An Inside Place; Interior Spaces of the Mind and Eye by Tony Berlant, Robert Bingham, March Hermansader, Jane Irish, Jess, Irving Perlin, H. C. Westermann, Noyes Museum, Oceanville NJ, 1985
  • Whitney Museum of American Art, Tony Berlant: The Marriage of New York and Athens, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, 1974

Footnotes
  1. Honolulu Museum of Art, Spalding House: Self-guided Tour, Sculpture Garden, 2014, p. 2.
  2. J. J. Brody, Mimbres painted pottery. 1977, Santa fe, School of American Research. ISBN 0826304524
  3. Stephen A. LeBlanc, Painted by a Distant Hand: Mimbres Pottery from the American Southwest, Peabody Museum Collection Series, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University. 2004
  4. Mimbres Pottery Images Digital Database
  5. Russell, Will G.; Hegmon, Michelle Advances in Archaeological Practice, Volume 3, Number 4, November 2015, pp. 358-377.(20) Publisher: Society for American Archaeology. Full text copy (including photos):
  6. "Tony Berlant".
  7. "Homage to Lenny | LACMA Collections".
  8. "Tony Berlant".
  9. "Philadelphia Museum of Art - Collections Object: Venus".
  10. "Tony Berlant".
  11. "The best (And worst) decorating trends from the last 30 years". 2017-01-27.
  12. Swann, Jennifer (September 20, 2018). "Artist Tony Berlant and Daughter, Comedian Kate Berlant, Get Personal". LA Magazine.
  13. "Kate Berlant and John Early's Escape from Comic Realism". The New Yorker.
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