Sidney Schenck

(1952-1996)

Sidney Schenck was successful and well-known in his lifetime. What he called his “Fantastic Art” is in direct dialogue with Surrealism and Afrofuturism.

Born in New Jersey, Sidney Schenck was an artist from an early age. He attended Parsons School of Design, where he studied with Benny Andrews, and graduated from Pratt Institute.

In 1977 Schenck moved to Paris, where he would spend most of his career. He returned to the Washington DC area in the early 1990s, where he passed away so young, only 44.

Artwork

Untitled, “Paris June 17 1990” on verso, oil on canvas, 57” x 49” Sold 03-05-25. Hill Auction Gallery, Sunrise FL, Liveauctioneers

*Deceptive Pleasures* (Time Series), 1992, oil, 37 x 36 inches. “False destructive ways of Pleasure Leave and courts a nobler treasure In the starry realms”

“The Time Series was inspired by the music of Georg Frederic Handel (1685-1759). The Triumph of Time and Truth is a symbolic oratorio, while Time, Truth, Beauty and Pleasure are ‘characters’ who interact as well as sing. Beauty, wishing to stop the passage of Time, is supported by Pleasure and Deceit. Eventually, Beauty submits to Time. The music and fantasy of the allegory inspired the images presented in this series of paintings.” – from the Parish Gallery exhibition catalog, Washington DC, 1993.

*Time and Beauty* (Time Series), 1993, oil, 20 x 16 inches. “Beauty submits to Time”

KNOWN COLLECTIONS

Paul Jones Collection, Atlanta GA.

Paco Rabanne, Designer. Painting, “The Waiting Room,” in the collection of fashion designer Paco Rabanne (1934-2023): Info from Doris E. Brown, “An American in Paris: New Brunswick Artist Returns from France for Rare US Show,” Central New Jersey Home News, February 13, 1983. Possibly located at the U.S. Embassy, Georgetown, Guyana.

Painting, “Discreet Charm,” acquired by Evans-Tibbs Collection (c. 1984): Info from Doris E. Brown, “Schenck Readies 1st N.Y. Show,” Central New Jersey Home News, October 7, 1984.

Painting, “Clipped Wings,” (Secret Flight Series), Mrs. Sally Flink [Schenck’s high school teacher]. Cited in Estelle Sinclaire, “Schenck’s ‘Secret Flight’ soars publicly at AT&T,” Time Off [Princeton NJ], January 29, 1986, 16.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland, College Park

Sidney Schenck [?], Untitled, 1972, oil on canvas, 20” x 18”, David C. Driskell Center, Gift of Nene Humphrey from the Benny Andrews and Nene Humphrey Collection, Object 2010.06.127, Photography by Greg Staley, 2019.

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church

“Paintings of the Stations of the Cross by artist Sidney Schenck” are at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church, 244 V Street SE, Anacostia, Washington DC [info from Marya Annette McQuirter, African American History Trail, Washington DC, 2003, p. 20] Commissioned; unveiled in 1987.

Studio Museum in Harlem Collection [?]

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

1974, Feb: Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corp., 1368 Fulton St, Brooklyn.

1974, May 5-14: New Brunswick Free Public Library, New Brunswick NJ.

1976: Pratt Institute, [BFA exhibition?]

1980: De Westerhelling, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

1980: Galerie Together, Stockholm.

1981, February 17-28: Galerie Cimaise, Paris.

1981, March: [location?] Stockholm.

1981, April: Galerie Glaub, Cologne.

1981, September: [location?], Amsterdam.

1981: [unknown location], Sidney Schenck exhibition flyer in Mildred Thompson papers, Emory University.

1982, March: Celebrity Centre Paris, Paris.

1982, November: Galerie Municipal des Sens, Sens, France.

1983, February 19-27: “Surrealistic Art: Works by Sidney Schenck,” Hawkins Gallery, 223 Fulton Ave, Hempstead NY.

1983, April. Exhibition at the U.S. Cultural Center in Georgetown, Guyana.

1984, October 15-November 30: “Magie Noire: Sidney Schenck,” Gallery 62, National Urban League, 500 E. 62nd St, New York.

1986, January 12-February 18: “Secret Flight: Surrealist Paintings by Sidney Schenck,” AT&T Corporate Education Center, Carter Road, Hopewell NJ.

1987, January. Stations of the Cross, St. Theresa of Avila, Anacostia, Washington DC. (Commission).

1987, October 25-November 22: “Divas,” Cellar Gallery, 11 Brookside Ave, South Nyack NY.

1988, December 3- January 31, 1989: “Trance Forms,” Blackburn Center, Howard University, 2400 6th Street NW, Washington DC.

1991, April 10-May 5. “Rainbow,” Sumner School Museum, Washington DC, sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA).

1993, April 16-May 15. “Exhibition of Paintings” by Sidney Schenck, Parish Gallery, Georgetown, Washington DC (in conjunction with Galleries 1054).

1993: September -October 28. “Persona: Paintings by Sidney Schenck,” Sumner School Museum, Washington DC.

1994: “Gallery Preview: Paintings by Sidney Schenck” [unknown location]. See the finding aide to the Loïs Mailou Jones papers, MSS 112, Howard University.

Sidney Schenck, 1993, Parish Gallery, Georgetown, Washington D.C., Exhibition Announcement. Parish Gallery records, 1940-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Artwork: “Humility,” 1992, part of “Seven Virtues” series.

Sidney Schenck, “By His Stripes We Were Healed”, 1987, mural Stations of the Cross, St. Theresa of Avila, Anacostia, Washington DC, commission celebration pamphlet. Parish Gallery records, 1940-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

1968, May: “Artistry in Black,” Brunswick Community Center, New Brunswick NJ. 36 exhibitors, mostly professionals. Schenck was one of 5 amateurs – and the youngest.

1969, May: “Artistry in Black,” We Few Art Show, Brunswick Community Center, New Brunswick NJ. Schenck won first place in oil (for non-professionals?) for “Reflections.”

1972, May: “Artistry in Black,” YWCA, 51 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ.

1973, December: Christmas group show, Acts of Art Gallery, New York. (NOTE: he is not listed on the Acts of Art Gallery webpage).

1974, February: Kress Gallery, Philadelphia.

1974, March: “Exposure 74,” SCAP Building, 429 Lewis Street, Franklin NJ. Also showing: Wendell Brooks, James Edwards, Rex Goreleigh, Phillip Moore, Myrtle Pierson, Kenneth Rawlings, Claude Spivey, Emily Sturkei.

1976, March: Addison Greene, 1093 2nd Ave (57th), New York. Also showing: Tom DeJong, Louis Fajardo, Richard Karwoski, and Edward and Jacqueline Martin.

[before 1976 - exact date unknown]. Metropolitan Applied Research Center, New York.

1977, June: Cinque Gallery, New York. Also showing: Ellsworth Ausby, Willie Birch, Michael Cummings, Gabriel de Silva, Catti James, Pat Jow, Barry Smith, Roy Woodruff.

1977: Community Museum of Brooklyn, Brooklyn NY.

1979: L’Hotel de Ville de Paris, Paris.

1980: Salon Jeune Peinture, Paris.

1980, March: International Art Exposition, New York Coliseum, New York.

1981, January: Galerie l’Arc-en-Ciel, Paris.

1981, June: Foyer International d’Accueil de Paris, Paris.

1981, June: Salon Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris.

1981, August: Galerie Vivienne, Amsterdam.

1981, November: 12eme Salon du Xme, PARIS, Paris.

1982, May: Salon de Dessin et de la Peinture a l’Eau, Paris.

1983: “Surrealism and the Afro-American Artist,” Evans-Tibbs Collection, Washington DC. Catalogue digitized at NGA Library.

1984, February: “Paris Meets New York,” Sidney Schenck and Joyce Wellman, Evans-Tibbs Collection, Washington DC. Digitized at NGA Library.

1984, May: Jeune Peinture - Association Wilfredo Lam U.N.E.S.C.O., Paris.

1985, March: Galerie Bernanos, Paris.

1985, April: Espace Richelieu A.G.F., Paris.

1985, June: 38th Salon des Arts et Techniques, Auber, Paris.

1985, September: L’Academie de Lutece, Paris.

1987, June: Isetan Dept. Store Gallery, Tokyo.

1987, December 2-January 2, 1988: “Small Works of the Gallery Artists,” Spiral Gallery, Brooklyn NY. Artists: Stanley Barnes, Wayne Clarke, Sandra Collier, Ernest Crichlow, James Denmark, Corinne Gaile, Leonard Gittens, Clifford Hobbs, Joseph Holston, Jayson Keeling, Fannie Lager, Karl McIntosh, Don Miller, Catherine Mills, Carlton Murrell, Diana N’Diaye, Otto Neals, Doris Price, Spencer Richards, Sydney Schenk, Vincent Smith, Ann Tanksley, Willie Tolbert, Lloyd Toone, Ron Walton, George Wilson.

1987: Exhibitions at 2016 O St NW DC cooperative building, and Evans Tibbs, Washington DC.

1995, March: “Onstage: A Century of African American Stage Design,” Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York.

“16-Year-Old Among Exhibiting Artists,” The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey) May 5, 1968, p. 41.

PRIMARY SOURCES

1977 - “Fashion at the Saint Regis.” Ornately costumed creatures by Sidney Schenck. Oil Painting. 27 June 1977 [GU65005], Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series. Parts 7-11A. Works of Art Jan-Dec 1977: Vow 31 No 1-2. Reproductions of Works of Art. Library of Congress.

1977 - “Fashion Series.” 2 stylized dancers, female figure in front of camera, & other depictions. 15 drawings, pen & ink. Sidney Schenck. 5 October 1977 [GU66114], Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series. Parts 7-11A. Works of Art Jan-Dec 1977: Vow 31 No 1-2. Reproductions of Works of Art. Library of Congress.

1983, February 17. Interview on WLIB Radio, New York.

1983, February-March. Lectures in New York and New Jersey High Schools.

1984 - Schenck featured on WNEW’s Channel 5 Black News program, 10pm, Oct 21, 1984.

1986 - Sidney Schenck interviewed for “New Jersey Network’s minority-affairs series ‘In Black & White,’” hosted by Marcellus D. Smith, Jr., and Pat Battle. First aired August 30, 1986, 7:30pm (main interviewee is Wynton Marsalis, but also “former New Brunswick resident Sidney Schenck. Schenck has spent the past eight years in Paris, where he has won fame for his Salvador Dali-inspired clothing designs and paintings.” [“Trumpeter Focus on Network,” Verona-Cedar Grove Times [NJ], August 21, 1986.]

1987, May. Lecture at Japan International School, Tokyo.

1996 - Obituary in Central New Jersey Home News, May 9, 1996.

ARCHIVAL HOLDINGS

• American Archive of Public Broadcasting. “In Black and White; #314.” 1986-05-10. New Jersey Network. (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC.

• Archives of American Art. Parish Gallery records, 1940-2013. Series 1: Exhibition Files, Box 1, Folder 17. Exhibition of Paintings by Sidney Schenck (1993) brochure, announcement, checklist, press release, CV, consignment agreement, misc. press, brochure for Stations of the Cross Commission, correspondence Schenck to Parish from Paris, artwork reproductions (b/w and color), 1995 letter from Schenck to Parish from DC, Absolut Vodka (b/w copy).

• DC History Center. Sumner School Museum ephemera, E 1058: Exhibition Program, “Rainbow,” Paintings of Sidney Schenck, 10 Apr-5 May 1991.

• Emory U, Stuart A. Rose Library. Mildred Thompson papers (Mss. Collection No. 1199), Box 19: Folder 54: Sidney Schenck exhibition flyer (1981).

• Howard University, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. Loïs Mailou Jones papers, MSS 112, Series K, Box 215-34, folder 38: “Gallery Preview: Paintings by Sidney Schenck”.

• National Gallery of Art Library. Slides in The Evans-Tibbs Collection, 1810-1998.

• National Gallery of Art Library. Artist File, OCLC 1453269199

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1969 - “Hub City Artist,” Central New Jersey Home News, May 5, 1969. Photo of Sidney Schenck with works on exhibit at We Few Art Show, “Artistry in Black,” Brunswick Community Center.

1969 - “‘Christ’ is Show Winner,” Central New Jersey Home News, May 6, 1969.

1969 - Doris E. Brown, “Art Workshop Enriches City,” Central New Jersey Home News, August 10, 1969. Photo of Sidney Schenck (17) working on mural.

1970 - Doris E. Brown, “He’s Bringing Culture to Town,” Central New Jersey Home News, July 19, 1970. Photo of Schenck’s artwork. Photos by Will Gainfort.

1972 - Dick Rothschild, “Black Artists Exhibit Work,” Central New Jersey Home News, May 7, 1972. Photo of Schenck with artwork.

1974 - “Young Artist ‘Sells’ His Way to Europe, Opens One-Man Show,” Central New Jersey Home News, February 10, 1974. Photo of Schenck with artwork.

1974 - “‘Exposure 74’ is on at SCAP,” Central New Jersey Home News, March 17, 1974.

1975 - David L. Shirey, “Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Center is Bringing Art to Its Community,” New York Times, October 19, 1975, 107.

1975 - [Unknown Title], Encore American & Worldwide News 4 (1975), 4.

1977 - Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series. Parts 7-11A. Works of Art Jan-Dec 1977: Vow 31 No 1-2. Reproductions of Works of Art. Library of Congress. “Fashion at the Saint Regis.” Ornately costumed creatures by Sidney Schenck. Oil Painting. 27 June 1977 [GU65005], From Internet Archive.

1977 - Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series. Parts 7-11A. Works of Art Jan-Dec 1977: Vow 31 No 1-2. Reproductions of Works of Art. Library of Congress. “Fashion Series.” 2 stylized dancers, female figure in front of camera, & other depictions. 15 drawings, pen & ink. Sidney Schenck. 5 October 1977 [GU66114], From Internet Archive.

1977 - Mel Tapley, “Cinque Gallery: Harlem’s Downtown Exposure,” N.Y. Amsterdam News, June 25, 1977, D2. Digitized in Romare Bearden Papers.

1978 - [Unknown Title], Revue Moderne Illustré des Arts et la Vie (1978), 5.

1980 - Doris E. Brown, “Surrealist Returns from Paris,” Central New Jersey Home News, December 28, 1980. Photos of artwork from “Wild Vanity” series.

1981 - Lynn Igoe & James Igoe, 250 Years of Afro-American Art: An Annotated Bibliography (1981).

1981 - [Unknown Title], Jeune Afrique 1061-1077 (1981), 90.

1982 - “Lifestyle: Sidney Schenck,” Ebony 37.7 (May 1982): 84, 86, 88. Color illustrations. Photographs by Jean-Michel Tardy.

1982 - [Unknown Title], Sepia 31.6 (1982), 38.

1983 - Interview on WLIB Radio, New York, February 17, 1983. [radio interview]

1983 - Doris E. Brown, “An American in Paris: New Brunswick Artist Returns from France for Rare US Show,” Central New Jersey Home News, February 13, 1983. Images of artist & artwork.

1983 - “Surrealism and the Afro-American Artist,” Evans-Tibbs Collection, Washington DC, 1983. Digitized at NGA Library.

1984 - One Person exhibitions in 1983 in District of Columbia, Art in America Annual Guide, 1984-5, 80.

1984 - Doris E. Brown, “Schenck Readies 1st N.Y. Show,” Central New Jersey Home News, October 7, 1984. Photo of artwork.

1984 - Schenck featured on WNEW’s Channel 5 Black News program, 10pm, October 21, 1984 [TV Interview].

1985 - Dolores Hajosy, “Gallery 62: An Outlet . . . A Bridge,” Black American Literature Forum 19.1 (Spring 1985): 22-23.

1986 - Helen Schwartz, “Artist Has Two Worlds of Influence,” Central New Jersey Home News, January 18, 1986. Photos of artist and artwork.

1986 - Estelle Sinclaire, “Schenck’s ‘Secret Flight’ soars publicly at AT&T,” Time Off [Princeton NJ], January 29, 1986, 16.

1986 - “In Black and White; #314.” 1986-05-10. New Jersey Network. [TV Interview]. Sidney Schenck interviewed for “New Jersey Network’s minority-affairs series ‘In Black & White,’” hosted by Marcellus D. Smith, Jr., and Pat Battle. First aired August 30, 1986, 7:30pm.

1987 - “Art Exhibit to Open in S. Nyack,” Journal News [White Plains NY], October 22, 1987. Photo of artist.

1987 - “Society World: Cocktail Chitchat,” Jet (October 26, 1987), 30.

1987 - Freddie A. Brown, Jr., “Artist Relates Christ’s Life to the Black Experience,” Washington Post, December 24, 1987. Images of artist & artworks.

1988 - “Society World: Cocktail Chitchat,” Jet 73.25 (March 21, 1988), 32.

1988 - Olive Vassell, “In the Eye of the Beholder: Schenck’s Images Project Anger and Calm,” Baltimore Afro-American, December 3, 1988. Images of artist and artwork.

1991 - Olive Vassell, “Painting It as He See It,” Baltimore Afro-American, [exact date unknown]. Images of artist and artwork.

1991 - “Art Spaces,” Washington Post, May 10, 1991.

1991 - “Society World: Cocktail Chitchat,” Jet 80.6 (May 27, 1991), 30.

1992 - Absolut Vodka / Absolut Schenck [ad] in Black Enterprise 22 (June 1992), 61.

1992 - Calla Denjoy, “Art: Paris Connections,” United Talent Magazine, (July 1992), 4. Image of artwork.

1993 - “Persona: Paintings by Sidney Schenck,” Sumner School, Washington Post, September 19, 1993.

1993 - “Art Spaces,” Washington Post, October 15, 1993.

1996 - “Two Decades of Momentous Change: 1976-1996,” The International Review of African American Art 13.2 (1996), 63.

2015 - Diane Turquety, “(In)visible Man: African American Artists and Paris (1945-1984), Revue de l’Art, no. 189, 2015, pp. 49-54.

Doris E. Brown, “An American in Paris: New Brunswick Artist Returns from France for Rare US Show,” Central New Jersey Home News, February 13, 1983.

Lifestyle: Sidney Schenck,” Ebony 37.7 (May 1982): 84, 86, 88. Color illustrations. Photographs by Jean-Michel Tardy.

EDUCATION

1969 - Rider College, New Jersey.

1970-1972 - Parsons School of Design, New York.

1976 - The Art Restoration Technical Institute, New York.

1972-1976 - BFA, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY.

Private Instruction from Benny Andrews.

1978 - Académie de la Grande Chaumière, Paris.

1978-1980 - Certificate, École des Beaux-Arts, Paris.

AWARDS

1978 - Nominated for the Prix de Vitry.

[Date unknown, before 1987]. Nominated for the Grand Prix International d’Arts Plastiques de Bilan de l’Art Contemporain.

OTHER WORK

1976 - Antique Painting Restorer, J.H. Guttman Picture Frame Corp., New York, NY.

1978-1979 - Stage costume design, Disques Carrere, Paris.

1982 - Commissioned to design stage costumes for a modern ballet produced by choreographer Felix White’s Black Vibrations Dance Theater in Amsterdam.

1983, February-March. Lectures in New York and New Jersey High Schools.

1983 - Designed costumes for Sun Ra and Orchestra for an avant garde jazz revue tour in Paris (March 1983). Tour included show at Casino de Paris. Info from Doris E. Brown, “An American in Paris: New Brunswick Artist Returns from France for Rare US Show, Central New Jersey Home News, February 13, 1983. Photos include sketch for costume.

1983 - Stage costume design, New York Musical Production, KATURAH, Louis Johnson choreographer.

1987, May. Lecture at Japan International School, Tokyo.