Tom Benrimo

Born in San Francisco and coming from a noted show business family, Thomas Daniel "Duncan" Benrimo showed early talent as an artist-illustrator. In April 1906, The Great San Francisco Earthquake, destroyed most of his early drawings and art work displacing him and most of his remaining family members. Arriving in New York, he was joined by his Elder Brother, Actor-Performer and Stage Director, Joseph Harry Benrimo, and worked his craft at stage-set desiging. Later, he settled back as an artist-illustrator. As an Illustrator for Fortune, Scribner's and Harper's, Benrimo also taught at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. After his magazine art contracts and divorce from his first wife, Helen Benrimo, he relocated to the renown artist colony in Taos, New Mexico and became part of "The Contemporary Art Movement". It was there that Thomas met and married his second wife, Contemporary Photographer, Dorothy Benrimo. He was included in both group and solo exhibitions in New York and San Francisco. His work is held by museums including the Denver Art Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art and Fort Worth Art Museum. (1)

Citations

1. From the description of Tom Benrimo sketches, 1930-1939. (Fashion Institute of Tech Library). WorldCat record id: 79418249
2. MacAgy, Douglas, 1913- . American Genius in Review No. I, Pamphlet, 1960; digital images, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth176574/ : accessed March 10, 2014), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas , Texas.
3. http://apfineart.com/artist/thomas-benrimo/
4. Tom and Dorothy Benrimo papers, 1898-1973
5. Taos County, New Mexico Obituaries - B -

-- Art and Spiritualism: It is noted that Thomas Benrimo believed in some aspect of Spiritualism. How much of it influenced and/or inspired much of his art and Illustrations is a matter of opinion. Many believe that 'Native American Spiritualism' was his model for some of his style of South-West Contemporary Art. Though this might be true... His Grandfather, Harvey McAlpin,(who he never met) was a strong supporter and believer of the then "American Spiritualist Movement".