Almost a decade after lending works for a campus exhibit of religious prints by the nationally known artist Benjamin Miller, a Cincinnati scholar and art collector has donated 18 of the artist’s works to the Marian Library.
The donor, Allen W. Bernard, primarily collects etchings and woodcuts from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through collecting and researching Miller’s work, Bernard is considered an expert on the artist. He wrote a catalogue raisonné, The Prints of Benjamin Miller, published in 2003. In the book, Bernard writes that Miller is “unique as an American artist in creating works with secular, mystical, and religious subject matter that show an intense passion and primal directness not found in other artists of that period.”
The Artist
Miller (American, 1877-1964) created 89 woodblock prints between 1924 and 1935 in Cincinnati. In The Prints of Benjamin Miller, Bernard characterizes these works as “innovative and internationally acclaimed.”
Miller graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering but turned to art after working briefly as an engineer in San Francisco. He studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati under Frank Duveneck and was influenced by German expressionists during his travels in post-World War I Europe.
Miller began experimenting with the stark contrast of silhouette drawings and woodcut prints in 1924. His early prints depicted mostly biblical themes, including “The Flight Into Egypt,” a 1927 woodcut that The New York Times featured prominently in an article on religious pictures of the past and present (Dec. 25, 1927). The article describes Miller as one of the young artists “using modern design to the support of traditional features.” Miller also depicted topics related to social justice, which Bernard cites as a special collecting interest.
The Gift
Bernard’s gift included a silhouette drawing of the Annunciation by Miller that is on exhibit through Oct. 23 in Fiat and Faith: Symbolism of the Annunciation in the Marian Library Gallery. Bernard also gifted 17 prints that include biblical scenes depicting Mary — such as the Pietà and the Flight to Egypt — as well as other Old and New Testament stories, saints, social justice themes and churches dedicated to Mary. Bernard’s gift also included a sculpture by Sister Jeanne Dueber, S.L.
– Bridget Retzloff is an assistant professor and the coordinator of art collections and exhibits.
