Lorna Blaine Halper

Image of Lorna Blaine Halper

Photo Credit: Courtesy Collection of Lorna Blaine Halper, Gift of Mary Emma Harris, Black Mountain College Project, Courtesy of the Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina

Remarks: Lorna Halper in Bighorn Mountains, Wyoming in 1961. Photograph taken by Albert Halper.

Lorna Blaine Halper

American, (1924–2012)

EDUCATION

Black Mountain College; Bernard Collge; Columbia University

BIOGRAPHY

Lorna Blaine Halper (1924-2012) was born in the New York City area. While studying art at Columbia University she learned about Black Mountain College. Her parents opposed her attending the school until, Fannie Hillsmith a family friend, was invited to teach in the summer of 1945. Lorna was permitted to enroll in the summer of 1945 and remained at the college through the spring of 1948.
Halper studied art with Josef Albers at Black Mountain College. She developed an approach that combined the principles of Albers’s teachings with her own individualized use of line and. Many of her works include complex drawings that explore the relation between figure and ground. A motif in many of works that of the "Spiral Man." Halper began working with the Spiral Man, whose head and face take the form of a spiral, as a young girl and continued to incorporate it into many of her paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture throughout her long career.
At Black Mountain College she studied art with Josef Albers, Fannie Hillsmith, Lyonel Feininger, Robert Motherwell, Jean Varda and Ilya Bolotowsky. Halper became friends with students Ruth Asawa, Ray Johnson, Elaine Schmitt Urbain, Oli Sihvonen and others.

[source: Museum staff]

Artist Objects

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Image of Drawing

Drawing

2012.26.114

Image of Drawing

Drawing

2012.26.118

Thumbnail for missing image of Drawing

Drawing

2012.26.119

Image of Drawing

Drawing

2012.26.121

Image of Drawing

Drawing

2012.26.126

Image of Drawing

Drawing

2012.26.127

Image of Drawing

Drawing

2012.26.128

Image of Drawing ("A portrait to remember")

Drawing ("A portrait to remember")

2012.26.117

Image of Drawing ("Gravity? what's gravity?")

Drawing ("Gravity? what's gravity?")

2012.26.124

Image of Drawing ("My how wonderful")

Drawing ("My how wonderful")

2012.26.120

Image of Drawing ("No - this one is right")

Drawing ("No - this one is right")

2012.26.115

Image of Drawing ("Now let me explain")

Drawing ("Now let me explain")

2012.26.123

Image of Drawing ("This government is fine!")

Drawing ("This government is fine!")

2012.26.125

Image of Drawing ("What's wrong with this government?")

Drawing ("What's wrong with this government?")

2012.26.122

Image of Drawing on a Newspaper Clipping

Drawing on a Newspaper Clipping

2012.26.143.02

Image of Enclosure from Ray Johnson to Lorna Blaine, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 4, 1947, Image of St. Mark in Venice

Enclosure from Ray Johnson to Lorna Blaine, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 4, 1947, Image of St. Mark in Venice

2012.26.129.03

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City

2012.26.136.02

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 10, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 10, 1947

2012.26.136.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 14, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 14, 1947

2012.26.142.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 17, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 17, 1947

2012.26.140.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 21, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 21, 1947

2012.26.143.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 24, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 24, 1947

2012.26.141.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 12, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 12, 1947

2012.26.146.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 14, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 14, 1947

2012.26.147.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 5, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 5, 1947

2012.26.138.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 7, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 7, 1947

2012.26.145.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 8, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine Halper, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 8, 1947

2012.26.135.01

Image of Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 4, 1947

Envelope from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 4, 1947

2012.26.129.01

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper

2012.26.130

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper (pg. 1 & 2)

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper (pg. 1 & 2)

2012.26.140.02

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper (pg. 3 & 4)

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper (pg. 3 & 4)

2012.26.140.03

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper (pg. 5 & 6)

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper (pg. 5 & 6)

2012.26.140.04

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark February 10, 1947

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark February 10, 1947

2012.26.136.03

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark February 24, 1947

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark February 24, 1947

2012.26.141.02

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 14, 1947

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 14, 1947

2012.26.147.02

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 5, 1947

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 5, 1947

2012.26.138.02

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 7, 1947

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 7, 1947

2012.26.145.03

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 8, 1947

Letter from Ray Johnson to Lorna Halper, postmark March 8, 1947

2012.26.135.02

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Baline, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 4, 1947

Letter from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Baline, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark March 4, 1947

2012.26.129.02

Image of Letter from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 18, 1947

Letter from Ray Johnson, Black Mountain College, to Lorna Blaine, 101 East 85th Street, New York City, postmark February 18, 1947

2012.26.137

Image of Letter to Lorna Halper

Letter to Lorna Halper

2012.26.144

Image of Mat

Mat

2012.26.026

Image of My Consultants

My Consultants

2012.26.035

Image of Newspaper clipping of Mondrian

Newspaper clipping of Mondrian

2012.26.141.03

Image of Number 7

Number 7

2012.26.145.02

Image of Photograph of Lorna Halper unloading pipe for FHA Housing Building

Photograph of Lorna Halper unloading pipe for FHA Housing Building

2012.26.131

Image of Photograph of Lorna Halper unloading pipe for FHA Housing Building

Photograph of Lorna Halper unloading pipe for FHA Housing Building

2012.26.132

Image of Placemat

Placemat

2012.26.024

Image of Placemat

Placemat

2012.26.025

Image of Postcard of a pendant from the Met to Lorna Blaine Halper

Postcard of a pendant from the Met to Lorna Blaine Halper

2012.26.139

Image of Spiral Man

Spiral Man

2008.03.12.33

Image of The Emperor Jones watercolor

The Emperor Jones watercolor

2012.26.140.06

Image of The Golden Section

The Golden Section

2007.27.13.21

Image of Untitled watercolor

Untitled watercolor

2012.26.140.05

Image of Variations

Variations

2008.19.01.41

Image of Variations

Variations

2008.19.02.41

Artist Images

Additional Image

Photo Credit: Courtesy Collection of Lorna Blaine Halper, Gift of Mary Emma Harris, Black Mountain College Project, Courtesy of the Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina

Remarks: Lorna Halper sitting on the railing at their FHA housing on Black Mountain College in 1948. Photograph taken by Tasker Howard.

Additional Image

Photo Credit: Courtesy Collection of Lorna Blaine Halper, Gift of Mary Emma Harris, Black Mountain College Project, Courtesy of the Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina

Remarks: Lorna Halper holding a Black Mountain College sign alongside Leslie George Katz, Jane Mayhall, and an unknown person in her studio in Pawling, New York, circa 1975.

Additional Image

Photo Credit: Courtesy Collection of Lorna Blaine Halper, Gift of Mary Emma Harris, Black Mountain College Project, Courtesy of the Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina

Remarks: Lorna Halper and Josef Albers in front of Max Dehn Cottage at Black Mountain College in 1946.

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