Description
Andrew Turner was born in l944 in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. Andrew’s work has been widely acclaimed, with many solo exhibitions and participation in group exhibitions. He has taught art in grades K-1 2 in the Chester, Pennsylvania Public Schools and in correctional centers. His appointments include Artist-in-Residence and Curator, Deshong Museum, Chester, PA; Lecturer, Widener University; Lecturer, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; and, he toured and lectured in The People’s Republic of China.
Collections which hold Andrew’s paintings include Woody Allen, Dr. Maya Angelou, ARCO Chemical Company, Bell Telephone Company, Dr. Constance Clayton, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cosby, Edie Huggins, Eric Lindros, Mr. and Mrs Louis Madonni, Moses Malone, Penn State University, the artist formerly known as Prince, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sorgenti, Swarthmore College, Mrs. Marilyn Wheaton, ; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Art in Embassies (AIE), U.S. Department of State, Museum of Contemporary African American Art – Cheyney University and Widener University Deshong Museum, just to name a few. He has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions and group exhibitions in the United States and abroad. His Philadelphia commissions include: WDAS FM (1996); Marco Solo, (published by J. Schwinn and G. Harlow, illustrated by Andrew Turner) Reverse Angle Productions, Inc. (I 995); and Robin Hood Dell, Fairmount Park (1985).
“My paintings combine the drama inherent in seventeenth century Dutch painting with the brush work and the economy of the Impressionists. However, I look to the jazz idiom more so than to other contemporary visual artists for guidance and inspiration. I tend to measure the success of my pieces by how they stand up technically, emotionally and innovatively to a Coltrane solo or whether I’ve captured the spirit of the occasion, a la Ellington. The subject matter, sometimes nostalgic recollections of my days as a young tough, covers a myriad of common folk activities. The setting usually my native Chester, is a beehive of creative stimulation or a deteriorating ghetto depending on my state of mind. At the very least, hopefully, these vignettes of experience will help to provide insight into some African American lifestyles and serve as an inspiration to my students and others to continue the legacy of African American participation in the arts.”
Andrew Turner 1944 – 2001
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Andrew Turner Book – Barnes and Noble
Read Turner Book Online – Click Here
Turner Illustrated Book
Turner Audio From Book
Links:
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Museum of Contemporary African American Art
Chester Charter Scholars Academy
Comments and Reviews
Little did I know when I awoke that morning {in the late 70’s} that this
day would be amazing. A day I would never forget. It was the weekend
of *The Annual Clothesline Exhibition* when the artists were in
Rittenhouse Square to show and sell their work. Not just from
Philadelphia but from many cities across the country. In the past I
had found artists perfect for the Sande Webster Gallery and this day
would not disappoint.
I see a tall. lanky *guy* whose look said *ARTIST* and I stop to look at
the work. There were paintings not only on board and canvas but on
found objects. I introduced myself and the rest is history. Andrew Turner
became a member of the Gallery that day and until I closed in 2011
he was a star.
Fifteen solo shows and more than thirty group shows at the gallery and
across the country. More than forty reviews that spoke of his talent and
vision. His jazz, church scenes, ladies, families and later his abstract
work was purchased by art lovers from all walks of life. Moses Malone,
Woody Allen, Prince, Maya Angelou, Pennsylvania Academy of The
Fine Arts, McDonald’s, Bell Telephone and Penn State to mention a few.
James Caplan has stated, “As a young kid, Andrew would stand
outside of the bars in Chester absorbing the jazz sounds created
by the visiting jazz ensembles. Later in life Andrew was able to
create jazz for the eye!”
Andrew Turner was not just another artist in the gallery. Creating work
was *life* and it happened everyday. My memories of Andrew as a
person and as an artist will be with me always. Even now when I look at
his art I am sure wherever he is, Andrew Turner is still a true artist making
work everyday.
Sande Webster-Brantley, Gallery Owner
Turner ’s colorful pictures document daily life, but
they also communicate affection and tenderness. While his subject
matter is African-American, the spirit of his work embraces everyone.
These oil paintings are culture-specific in their descriptive particulars,
but general in their humanism.
Edward J. Sozanski, Inquirer Art Critic, September 2001
“Exploring the full range of an artist’s work, Andrew Turner’s art spans his
enthusiasm for jazz clubs and images of life in Chester City.”
“Just a Man Who Paints” is the title of Andrew Turner ’s current large exhibit
at Widener University. And using that quote from the artist, who was born in
Chester in 1944 and grew up there in the 1950s and 1960s, gives his latest
show an invitingly relaxed and fortuitous air.
There’s a certain modesty in Turner ’s works, despite their obvious exuberance.
A highlight of this show by the painter, who died in 2001, is that Sande Webster
and Dr. William Dodd organized it, and they have included many paintings
from private collections.
The full range of Turner ’s work is represented – jazz subjects from the days
when Turner was under the spell of the jazz clubs in Philadelphia. He idolized
and paid particular homage to the creativity of John Coltrane.
These things were especially meaningful for him. But so were the influences he
felt from the City of Chester – they left their mark on his images of children on
bikes, a family saying grace at the table, bartenders, pool tables, dancing.
He portrayed all kinds of neighborhood life, from the simplest and humblest
to the most colorful celebrations enjoyed by all.
There’s boldness and directness in his approach as a painter. Turner, who
attended Temple University ’s Tyler School of Art, liked action and tried to
capture it with his paintbrush. He relished the play of shadow and light.
His people subjects – and they were ruggedly painted – have a controlled
forcefulness about them as they pony up the energy and excitement to be
found in the daily round of their activities.
By Victoria Donohoe, Inquirer Art Critic Posted: February 06, 2005
My husband and I are huge Andrew Turner fans. In the 90s, we lived in
Philadelphia, eventually working our way up to being able to afford an
apartment across the street from Sande Webster ’s gallery (on Locust).
She had Turner ’s paintings in the window. We agreed we would buy one,
but couldn’t agree on which one, so we bought two! We had no business
buying any (given finances at the time) but I’m so glad we did.
I also have a copy of Marco Solo (children’s book) with his beautiful work in it.
I will post photos of the two we have. One is called “Boppin” and the other – I think
“Eight Ball.”
Valerie Greenberg, July 2015
