From the Archive: 55 yrs ago / Siri at Hudson Museum

Siri Berg “Chaplin,” 1966, Oil on canvas, 8 x 21 in (20.3 x 53.3 cm) Collection of the Estate of Siri Berg [SBE0043]

Fifty-five years ago on January 26, 1967, The Riverdale Press announced the inclusion of Siri Berg in an exhibition featuring the Members of the Riverdale Fine Art Society. The show featured some 75 works done by 21 members of the Society, curated by Zita Querido, the Society’s director.

The show marked one of the earliest exhibitions to include Siri’s work—and in a museum no less! It’s important to note that Siri’s introduction to color stemmed from her study with Zita Querido (1917-2003), who was an Austrian born artist and former pupil of Hans Hofmann who taught at the Riverdale Fine Arts Society. Other artists included Sylvia Bross, Rosalind Frey, Henrietta Furis, Miriam Glasser, Frances Striglis, and Carolee Thea.

Siri’s work “Chaplin” a painting on canvas was featured in the headline for The Riverdale Press and highlights her early experiments with color. Here Siri plays with fracturing light across the horizontal plan as her subject, Charlie Chaplin, seemingly moves closer to the viewer as one pans from left to right.

Siri Berg who excels at modern art as well as traditional, has been particularly apt in using her creative instinct to express her unusual views. –The Riverdale Press

Press clipping from The Riverdale Press. Archives of Siri Berg Trust, New York.