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| 1867 | Born Oskar Julius Blumner on June 21 in Prenzlau (Brandenburg), Prussia. Father and grandfather were itinerant builders. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1882-1886 | Attends school in Hildesheim, Hanover, Elberfeld. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1887-1892 | Studies at Konigliche Technische Hochschule, Berlin (Charlottenburg). Royal Medal for painting of an architectural subject. Builds theater in Glewitz and post office in Halle am Saal. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1892 | To the United States aboard SS City of Chester. Design assistant at the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1893-1895 | To Long Island and New York City. Sporadic employment as draftsman, bartender, and peddler. Contracts malaria. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1895-1899 | To Chicago, Licensed as architect. Marries Lina Schumm. Birth of son Robert. Becomes U.S. citizen. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1900-1907 | To New York City. Licensed architect (161 Columbus Avenue). Designs residences and Bronx Borough Courthouse Birth of daughter Vera. Early watercolors, sketch trips, notes ("Principles of Painting"). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1908-1910 | Meets Alfred Stieglitz at The Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession (291 gallery). Considers leaving architecture for painting. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1911 | Produces first fifteen oils. Begins writing in his Painting Diary Studies of Cezanne exhibition at 291 and color theories of Chevreul, Rood, Church, Bacon, and Bezold. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1912 | Wins Bronx Borough Courthouse lawsuit and is awarded $12,500. Tours Europe (April-October). Inaugural one-man exhibitions at Galerie Fritz Gurlitt, Berlin; Leipzig Kunstverein; and Stadtliches Museum, Elberfeld. Visits Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne (review published); Kahnweiler, Sagot, and Druet galleries in Paris, and Roger Fry's second Post-Impressionist exhibition at the Grafton Galleries in London. Reads essays by Signac, Denis, and Matisse. Produces copies In museums, small watercolors, and sketchbook. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1913 | Five paintings included in the International Exhibition of Modern Art (Armory Show) in New York, First of several articles for Camera Work published. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1915 | Initial American solo exhibition at 291 features series of eight recent oils and related studies. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1916 | Displays four oils in "Forum Exhibition of Modern American Painters," Anderson Galleries, New York. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1916-1923 | To Bloomfield, New Jersey. Revises early paintings. First sales to William Bahr (Montross Gallery) and Georgia O'Keeffe (291). Begins Theory Diaries. Demonstrates interest in Oriental art, Symbolism, and Goethe's Farbenlehre. Participates in annual group shows at Bourgeois Galleries, New York. Becomes a board member of Salons of America. Transience, poverty, occasional home improvement/repair work. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1924-1926 | To Elizabeth, New Jersey. Begins new series of fifty-nine watercolors Notes on philosophers Schopenhauer and Spengler. Solo exhibitions at J. B Neumann's New Art Circle and Aline Meyer Liebman's Handwork Centre, New York. Wife dies. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1926 | To South Braintree, Massachusetts. Leaves many of his paintings in care of Stieglitz (Lincoln Storage, New York). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1927 | Essay on O'Keeffe printed by Stieglitz. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1928 | One-man exhibition,''Suns, Moons, Etc. Facts and Fancy Strains or Moods" at The Intimate Gallery, New York. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1929 | "Twenty New Oil Paintings on Panels," Whitney Studio Galleries, New York. Joins Boston Society of Independent Artists. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1930-1931 | '" Modern American Watercolors," Newark Museum, Develops "Casein-Varnish" paintings. Cat "Florianus" dies. Falls out with Stieglitz for favoring "native" artists; makes new arrangements with J. B. Neumann. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1932 | Included in first "Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (purchase). Unsuccessful application for Guggenheim Fellowship. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1933 | Joins Public Works of Art Project (P.W.A.P.), New England Region. "FLORIANUS" adopted as middle name and signature. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1934 | Holds "smallest one-man show" (Self-Portrait) at Morton Gallery, New York. Participates in "Public Works of Art Pictures," Labor Department, Washington, D.C. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1935 | "Landscape Paintings by Oscar F. Bluemner Compositions for Color Themes" shown at Marie Harriman Gallery, New York, and the Arts Club of Chicago. Invited to submit single works to "Abstract Painting In America," Whitney Museum of American Art, New York and "Second Biennial Exhibition of Paintings of Today," Worcester Art Museum and St Louis Art Museum. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1936 | Suffers from falling health. Begins last paintings and "Sonnet" drawings. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1937 | Plans retrospective exhibition, University Gallery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (held in 1939). Reviews and organizes all records. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1938 | Commits suicide on January 12. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
