Harry Bowden: Structures 1950s

Harry Bowden: Structures 1950s

Harry Bowden’s (1907–65) predilection for photography and painting started during his high-school days in Los Angeles, California, where he gained local success by creating album covers and earned awards for his work. In college, he studied painting with Hans Hoffman at the University of California, Berkeley. Bowden transferred to Chouinard School of Art in Los Angeles, California, and after graduation, became Hans Hoffman’s studio assistant in New York in 1935. While in New York City, Bowden achieved recognition through exhibitions of his paintings and his photography.

In the 1940s, Bowden returned to California to work as a shipfitter, where he fabricated, assembled, and erected the metal structural parts for sea vessels. Gradually, Sausalito, California, became his permanent residence. After WWII, and until his death in 1965, photography again became an important part of Bowden’s life. Bowden remains best known for his landscapes and portraits of jazz musicians, writers, and painters.

Harry Bowden’s photographs are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the University of Los Angeles Library Special Collections. His photography has been extensively exhibited at numerous locations, including at the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York; Artists Gallery, New York; East and West Gallery, Paul Elder Gallery, and the de Young Museum, all in San Francisco, California.

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