News
Award-Winning Film Producers to Create Documentary on the Life of Emerson Burkhart
Scott Spears and Christina Paolucci have announced they plan to begin work in early 2016 on a one-hour documentary featuring the life of Emerson Burkhart, noted Regionalist and American Scene artist who lived in Central Ohio for most of his life. Burkhart was a fixture in mid-century art circles in Columbus and had a great following among artists and the public alike.
“Pennsylvania Line” – Oil on canvas, 32 x 40 in.
“After completing our Woodland Park film project, a neighborhood where Burkhart lived, we felt there was so much content and interest around him that the next logical step was for us to produce a full one-hour documentary on his life,” said Spears. “Our goal is to place the completed documentary on television.”
Emersonburkhart.com Announces the Launch of Our New Website
(November 2025 – Columbus, OH) The long-awaited refresh of the Emerson Burkhart website is complete. We have spent several months analyzing every element of the website to provide visitors with the best possible experience. We have considered user-friendliness, enhanced graphics, speed, as well as feedback received from our audience.
We invite you to browse through our many galleries featuring great works by Burkhart. Make sure you take time to check out our other content and learn more about our business, but most importantly, the artist we love and showcase here.
We are also adding a “New Arrivals” gallery to make it easier for you to view fresh-to-the-market works. We hope you find these enhancements improve your visit with us. If you have any ideas or suggestions to make the visitor experience even more enjoyable, please contact us via email at: services@emersonburkhart.com
The Light is Greater Hence the Shadows More - First Version 1949
Griffin Gallery Features an Exhibition of Important Paintings by Noted Columbus Artist Emerson Burkhart
(August 17, 2015 – Gahanna, OH) Griffin Gallery at Creekside is pleased to announce an exhibition of paintings by Columbus artist Emerson Burkhart (American, 1905–1969) from October 2 to October 31, 2015. This special exhibition, titled “Emerson Burkhart – Reflections of His World – Columbus and Beyond,” will be held at the gallery located at 77 Mill Street, in Gahanna, Ohio.
The gallery is collaborating with Burkhart historian Geoff Hetrick, who is curating the works to be included in the exhibition. Visitors can expect to see nearly forty paintings, as well as personal items that belonged to the artist. A number of the works will be available for sale. Two of his best paintings, “The Light Is Greater Hence the Shadows More” (first version), as well as “And We Love Our Luxuries,” will be included in the exhibition.
Burkhart was well known around Columbus and pursued his passion for capturing Central Ohio life as he saw it. He is best known for his depiction of Columbus-area street scenes, self-portraits, country landscapes, several important portraits of African Americans, and paintings he produced while serving as artist-in-residence on global educational trips with the International School of America.
“I am excited to bring a wonderful collection of Burkhart paintings to Griffin Gallery at Creekside. Many of the works have not been exhibited previously and come from collections here in Central Ohio, across the country, and from an owner in Europe. The gallery and I are committed to helping the public understand that much of the art produced by Burkhart was of equal quality to works created by other important Regionalist painters of the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, such as Ivan Albright, Thomas Hart Benton, Clyde Singer, and others.”
Hetrick will be speaking at the opening reception to be held on Friday, October 2, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. The public is invited to attend.
Charles Weaver Estate Paintings by Emerson Burkhart Available to the Public
(January 2012 – Columbus, OH) Highly prized Burkhart paintings from the estate of Charles Weaver, Savannah, Georgia, are now available exclusively through emersonburkhart.com. This collection was acquired directly from the artist by Mr. Weaver and was the cornerstone of his collection for more than 50 years.
Weaver was a neighbor of Burkhart, and the two were good friends. Additionally, Weaver was a part-time artist and often painted side by side with Burkhart. Weaver had an “eye for quality” and systematically purchased the best Burkhart paintings he could afford.
His discriminating taste led him to build what is arguably one of the best private collections of Burkhart paintings anywhere. The paintings offered here represent outstanding examples of Burkhart’s work from the 1940s through the ’50s. These two decades represent the timeframe when scholars agree Burkhart was at his best. Nearly all of these paintings have exhibition provenance.
(While all of the works in the Weaver collection have been sold, we are always willing to approach the current owners with reasonable offers from our visitors like you.)
A Painter's Song of Himself – A Burkhart Biography
Author Michael Hall joins Karena Jaeger, daughter of Burkhart patron Karl Jaeger, for a quick photo on December 12, 2009, at the Columbus Museum of Art. Hall took time out from signing copies of his book, Emerson Burkhart: An Ohio Painter’s Song of Himself, for this photo.
(December 12, 2009 – Columbus, OH) The Columbus Museum of Art hosted a lecture by Michael Hall, author of the book Emerson Burkhart – A Painter’s Song of Himself. Approximately fifty guests attended the session. Hall spoke on a variety of topics about the recently released book, including his thoughts on why Burkhart is now gaining traction in the discussion of American Scene and Regionalist art.
It is Hall’s contention that there is an academic alternative to viewing art history through the lens of the most important practitioners through the ages. He says that a number of excellent artists have worked on the fringes of fame and recognition throughout time. Their stories and work demand attention in order to fully understand what the total contributions to a movement or school mean in the larger discussion of Art History. In Hall’s opinion, Burkhart is a classic example of such an artist.
Hall also encouraged those in the room, many of whom knew Burkhart personally, to share their own stories and connections with the artist. After the lecture, Hall signed copies of the book for those in attendance.
