Charles Stafford Duncan

Charles Stafford Duncan (1892–1952) was a San Francisco painter and lithographer perhaps best known for his mural in the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California. He won the Benjamin Altman Prize from the National Academy of Design in 1937.[2]

Charles Stafford Duncan
Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California). Women's Smoking Lounge in basement with mural by Charles Stafford Duncan
Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California). Women's Smoking Lounge with mural by Charles Stafford Duncan
BornDecember 12, 1892
DiedJune 7, 1952
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCalifornia School of Fine Arts (CSFA)
Known forPainting portraits and murals
MovementModernism
SpouseDorothy G. Johnson [Wikidata] (m. 1920–1952; death)[1]

Biography

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Duncan was born in Hutchinson, Kansas on December 12, 1892. At age four he moved with his family to San Francisco.[2] He studied at the California School of Fine Arts (CSFA) under Maynard Dixon and Ralph Stackpole.[3] Early in his career, Charles Stafford Duncan worked at the advertising firm Foster & Kleiser under another Charles Duncan. This has caused some researchers to confuse them with one another.[4] His painting style was modernist, and was affiliated with other left-leaning, bohemian San Francisco artists who gathered around Diego Rivera, including Otis Oldfield and Ralph Stackpole.[5][1]

In 1931 Charles Stafford Duncan worked with architecture firm Miller and Pflueger (under the supervision of architect Timothy L. Pflueger and artistic director Theodore C. Bernardi) on the art deco Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California).[6] He created the murals for the basement women's smoking lounge.[7]

He was a resident of San Francisco until 1945, when he moved to Sausalito, California.[2]

He died in New York City on June 7, 1952, at age 59 after returning from a trip to Paris.[2] He was survived by his wife, artist Dorothy Johnson Duncan and his daughter Jane.[4]

Work

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Notable exhibitions

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Memberships

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References

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  1. ^ a b St. Gaudens, Maurine (2015). Emerging from the Shadows: A Survey of Women Artists Working in California, 1860–1960, vol. 1. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing. p. 284. ISBN 9780764348617.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Charles Stafford Duncan (1892 - 1952)". Ask Art. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  3. ^ Hagerty, Donald J. (2010). The Life of Maynard Dixon. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 978-1423603795.
  4. ^ a b "Daily Independent Journal of San Rafael". June 9, 1952. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  5. ^ "Unknown drawing of Frida and Diego at the Oakland Museum". Frida Kahlo and Contemporary Thoughts. October 18, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  6. ^ Fischer, Lucy (2013). Designing Women: Cinema, Art Deco, and the Female Form. Columbia University Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-0231500579.
  7. ^ "History of the Paramount Theatre". Paramount Theatre. Archived from the original on January 8, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "Charles Stafford Duncan". The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Retrieved 2020-09-18.
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