The Art of Harry Davis: Illustrated Presentation

Event Details

Renowned for his meticulous renderings of Indiana landmarks, artist Harry A. Davis Jr. (1914–2006) inspires a devoted following among Hoosier art and architecture enthusiasts. Following studies at Indianapolis’s Herron School of Art in the 1930s, Davis launched a prolific career. In 1938 he won the prestigious Prix de Rome fellowship in painting, which led to work in Europe and North Africa. After serving as artist-in-residence in Wisconsin’s Beloit College in 1941–42, Davis enlisted in the U.S. Army, working as a combat artist in Italy during World War II before returning home to join Herron’s faculty. From figurative work that captured scenes from his rural Indiana upbringing to the paintings of buildings destined for demolition, Davis has left behind a legacy of hundreds of paintings.

On June 7, Rachel Berenson Perry, fine arts curator emerita of the Indiana State Museum, presents an illustrated talk at the Indiana Landmarks Center sharing the pivotal events of Davis’s life that shaped and inspired his art, offering a comprehensive picture of Harry Davis as teacher, husband, father and artist. After Perry’s presentation, attendees are invited to view a companion exhibit of Harry Davis’s work in the Indiana Landmarks Center’s Rapp Family Gallery until 9 p.m.

Reservations for the talk are required (click on the RSVP button above).

For more information, contact Indiana Landmarks at info@indianalandmarks.org or 317.639.6734.

The presentation and exhibition are presented in partnership with Herron School of Art and Design and Indiana University Indianapolis’s University Library Special Collections and Archives. Perry’s presentation received support from an Indiana Humanities Action Grant.