Artist: Philip Pearlstein (American, 1924-2022) Title: President Francis P. Kilcoyne Audio: Date: 1968 Dimensions: 44″ x 36″ Location in Library: First floor Media: Oil on canvas Owner: The Brooklyn College Library Collection. © Philip Pearlstein Description: President Francis P. Kilcoyne (1903-1985) was Brooklyn College’s third president, serving from 1966 to 1967. A lifelong liberal, Kilcoyne spoke at a college antiwar rally in 1935, and as college president asked for leniency for antiwar protesters arrested in a clash with police on campus. In 1976, Kilcoyne resigned from the city’s Board of Higher Education, protesting plans to impose tuition at the colleges in the City University of New York system. In 1980, after his wife’s death, Kilcoyne was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in the Brooklyn Diocese. The artist, Philip Pearlstein, enjoys an international reputation as a leading figurative painter. In the early 1960s, Pearlstein formulated a new American realism by painting the human body in a highly objective manner, breaking with the Western tradition of idealizing figures. He advocated painting images the way the eye actually sees them, including optical distortions and perceived anomalies. Pearlstein taught at Brooklyn College from 1964 to 1989. Related Websites Philip Pearlstein at MOMA Philip […]
Philip Pearlstein
Artist: Philip Pearlstein (American, 1924-2022) Title: President Robert L. Hess Audio: Date: 1989 Dimensions: 44″ x 36″ Location in Library: First floor Media: Oil on canvas Owner: The Brooklyn College Library Collection. © Philip Pearlstein Description: Robert L. Hess (1932-1992) was Brooklyn College’s sixth president, serving from 1979 to 1991. President Hess assumed the presidency amid campus turmoil related to the 1970s “open admissions” policy. Under his leadership, the college adopted a core curriculum requiring students to take courses in art, classics, computers, mathematics, and the sciences. By 1988, the college was rated fifth in the nation in liberal arts education. Pearlstein’s composition and powerful colors beautifully convey the bold leadership style of President Hess. The artist’s careful observation of life and emphasis on objectivity is reflected in his meticulous recording of the President’s characteristic thoughtful expression and manner. Related Websites Philip Pearlstein at MOMA Philip Pearlstein at Metropolitan Museum of Art