Robert Clarke Morris (1931-2019)

Bob always knew he’d be an artist. Growing up in New York City, he could take advantage of all the art the City had to offer. At Yale University he studied with Josef Albers and other luminaries of the early

1950s. After receiving his BFA degree, he was stationed in the Army Artillery in the wilds of Texas, leaving him with a lifelong aversion of camping which he gamely suppressed to placate his enthusiastic

wife and children. He remained in Houston where he became the director of the Contemporary Arts Museum, showcasing (to the gasps of some Board members) emerging avant-garde artists of the

midcentury.

But Bob had spent happy boyhood summers on the Watrous farm on Nut Plains Road, Guilford, and in 1960 the Morrises moved East, living in Madison for 44 years before settling in Guilford. Tall, lanky, and

red-bearded, he was spotted, frequently on his bike or walking his beloved Scottish terriers. His sense of the absurd that kept his friends and family laughing was the overlying theme of his precise paintings and drawings, many of which juxtaposed icebergs, aircraft, and architecture—in eerie prescience of today’s world.

Bob taught the Albers color and basic design courses at the University of Bridgeport among colleagues who were also Albers disciples. In 1970, he received his MFA at University of Texas, Austin. Returning to Connecticut, his last teaching position was at Trinity College, Hartford, ending with a glorious summer teaching monument drawing in Rome. Bob won numerous awards and exhibited his drawings and paintings widely.

over the years, Robert Morris's work has been showcased by prestigious art galleries, exhibitions and art venues all over the United States, such as the following:

Alexander Gallery (New York City)
Allan Gallery (New York City)
Allentown Art Museum (Pennsylvania)
The Center for Financial Studies, Fairfield University (Connecticut)
Connecticut Artist: A Rare Show (Xerox Corp.)
The Connecticut Drawing, Painting and Sculpture Show (Connecticut)
Contemporary Arts Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
David Gallery (Houston, TX)
EBK Gallery (Hartford, CT)
Gallery K (Washington, D.C)
Harris Gallery (Houston, TX)
Louisiana Gallery (Houston, TX)
The Michael Ingbar Gallery (New York City)
Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX)
The Nave Museum (Victoria, TX)
Oklahoma Arts Center (Oklahoma)
Richard Feigen Gallery (New York City)
Trinity College (Hartford)
Washburn Gallery (New York City)
The Wesleyan University Centerof the Arts (Connecticut)
The Widener Gallery ofTrinity College (Connecticut)
William Reaves Gallery (Houston, TX)

Robert Morris

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