Background
Robert Brackman was born on September 25, 1898 in Odes'ka Oblast, Ukraine. At age 10 he and his family came to America by way of Boston and moved to the Lower East Side of New York City. Later his family moved to Brooklyn.
Brackman studied at the Ferrer School in San Francisco.
Brackman studied at the National Academy of Design from 1919 to 1921.
Robert Brackman was born on September 25, 1898 in Odes'ka Oblast, Ukraine. At age 10 he and his family came to America by way of Boston and moved to the Lower East Side of New York City. Later his family moved to Brooklyn.
Brackman studied at the National Academy of Design from 1919 to 1921, and the Ferrer School in San Francisco.
From 1931, Robert Brackman had a long career teaching at the Art Students League of New York where he was a life member. He also taught at the American Art School in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum School, the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, and the Madison Art School in Connecticut.
He painted portraits of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Charles Lindbergh, John Foster Dulles, Miirrha Alhambra (Pauline Joutard de Evia) as well as portraits commissioned by the United States Air Force Academy and the State Department. He painted a portrait of actress Jennifer Jones for use as a prop in the 1948 film Portrait of Jennie, where it represents a portrait painted by the character of Eben Adams (Joseph Cotten). The American artist Elaine Hamilton was a student of Brackman, and so was Itshak Holtz.
He acquired many prizes, commissions and was elected to the National Academy in 1932 and became a full academician in 1940. He became nationally famous as a portrait painter, after painting portraits of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, shortly after the death of their son and the list of famous Americans he painted reads like a “Who’s Who.”
Robert Brackman created paintings that show the gamut of technical and imaginative skills. It is not credible to align him with any art movement because he was an artist who simply went his own way, pursuing his own vision. He was so successful with his portrait painting that he had to choose amongst persons wanting to commission him and from 1940, limited his sitters to three or four a year. From 1934 to 1944, he had seven one-man exhibitions in New York City at Macbeth Gallery.
He had very popular classes at his home in Noank, Connecticut which were held during the summer in a building across the street from his home and studio. In the early 1960's he shifted his classes to the Madison Art Gallery, in Madison, Connecticut and finally he taught at the fledgling Lyme Academy of Fine art in Old Lyme, Connecticut. He was one of the founders of the Mystic Art Association and his work can be seen there and in many public collections in America. He died in 1980.
Young Lady of 1933
1933Somewhere In America
1934Rêverie
1957Girl from Village
1960Life about me
Flowers for Jennifer
Three women - nude and with pitcher
Woman with basket
Still Life
A Plant for Elizabeth
Late Summer (Nude)
The Toilet
Seated in a Cafe
A Plate of Fruit
Women Washing
Pastel
Pastel
Pastel
An Etude in Gray #2
April Morn
Life & Still life #3
Musical Tabletop
Nude Portrait
He was very conservative in his opinions about art and disdained abstraction, warning his students that “it is for the dilettante and good conversationalist, and not for a student who wishes to become a professional artist.”
In 1932, Brackman was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full member in 1940.
Brackman was married to Rochelle Post; they later divorced. He had two daughters with his second wife.