Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Francis Quirk Brings Art to The Lehigh Valley Through the Annual Exhibition of American Contemporary Paintings


Over time our feeling has grown that Quirk's legacy extends beyond his work as a painter which first drew him to our attention. Then, we saw how his reach extended to his students, such as Helen Bacon Hoffman.  But perhaps equally important is his work in bringing arts to the Lehigh Valley.

In addition to bringing prominent artists and emerging trends into the campus galleries, he organized an Annual Exhibition of American Contemporary Paintings that was supported by Lehigh University alumni Ralph Wilson and his wife. (You can learn more about Ralph Wilson here.

Quirk reached out to six galleries for works including the following:
  • East Hampton 
  • Forum
  • Frank Rehn
  • Kraushaar
  • Midtown
  • Ogunquit
Over time many of these have closed.  We have tried unsuccessfully to find the Ogunquit and East Hampton Galleries.  Frank Rehn's papers are archived and include communications with Quirk that we have not yet focused on. 

At the exhibitions an opening reception was held with hostesses from the community. The exhibited paintings were for sale including one by Professor Quirk. 

The visitors to the exhibition were invited to vote for a favorite painting. This painting would be purchased and added to the permanent collection of Lehigh University




Presenting Artists


  • Elyot Henderson
  • Raymond Mintz
  • James Penney
  • Charles Coiner
  • Robert Eric Moore
  • Henry Strater
  • Joe Lasker
  • Johyn Heliker
  • John Guerin
  • Andree Ruellen
  • Karl Schrag
  • George Picken
  • Cornelus Ruthenberg
  • Kenneth Callahan
  • Jason Schoener
  • James Lechay
  • Ruth Gikow
  • William Thon
  • Jerome Witkin
  • Elsie Manville
  • Tanos Ghikas
  • Raphael Soyer
  • Max Weber
  • Peppino Mangravite
  • Harmon Neill
  • Manuel Ayaso
  • David Lavine
  • Patience Haley
  • Ralph Dubin
  • Francis J. Quirk
  • Roy Moyer
  • Kenneth Evett
  • Balcombe Greene
  • Robert La Hoten
  • Wallace H. Smith
  • Lenore Laine
  • Chris Ritter
  • Seri Berg
  • John Hartell
  • Carolyn Cross
  • Zona

Quirk was helping to boost the careers of these artists by giving them exposure,  an exhibition line on their resumes, a potential museum holding and a potential sale. 

While we have only scratched the surface of the list, we can see a few names that were prominent in the Ogunquit Art Colony including Henry Strater and Elyot Henderson. Henry Strater would be instrumental in the founding of the Ogunquit Museum of American Art.  You can learn more about Strater through this Esquire profile found here

We do have high quality images of this pamphlet and are seeking to master posting them in a better format. 







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