William Abbenseth
Encyclopedia
William Abbenseth was an American
photographer known for his black and white photographs of San Francisco architecture
.
and learning business and techniques from his colleagues. He died in San Francisco, California
in 1972.
in the mid-1930s. He began by photographing San Francisco architecture
, paintings, and sculptures before being made supervisor of the photographic department, which paid him ten more dollars a month than his previous position, totaling approximately $94 a month in income. He primarily photographed San Francisco homes and a selection were published in books and newspapers, exhibited at then San Francisco Museum of Art, and used in a photo mural
co-designed by Abbenseth and Ben Cunningham for the San Francisco City Hall
. Abbenseth also worked for the Index of American Design, documenting the architecture of and artwork within Spanish missions
. He had an interest in film, and began to film his activities related to the Federal Art Project, documenting work by Sargent Johnson at Aquatic Park
and the art of making stained glass
, which was funded by the University of California. He also created a documentary
about the San Francisco Housing Authority. During his involvement in the FAP he photographed artists such as Benny Bufano
and Reuben Kadish
. Abbenseth credited his work with the Federal Art Project as being an educational, which allowed him to work with and learn from the photographers of Group f/64
and filmmaker Ralph Steiner
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer known for his black and white photographs of San Francisco architecture
San Francisco architecture
San Francisco architecture does not refer to a particular architectural style but to San Francisco's unique status as a major architectural landmark and epicenter...
.
Personal life & education
William Abbenseth was born in New York, New York in 1898. Abbenseth describes his photography education as informal taking occasional classes at University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and learning business and techniques from his colleagues. He died in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1972.
Works Project Administration work
Encouraged by Joe Danysh Abbenseth became involved in the Federal Art ProjectFederal Art Project
The Federal Art Project was the visual arts arm of the Great Depression-era New Deal Works Progress Administration Federal One program in the United States. It operated from August 29, 1935, until June 30, 1943. Reputed to have created more than 200,000 separate works, FAP artists created...
in the mid-1930s. He began by photographing San Francisco architecture
San Francisco architecture
San Francisco architecture does not refer to a particular architectural style but to San Francisco's unique status as a major architectural landmark and epicenter...
, paintings, and sculptures before being made supervisor of the photographic department, which paid him ten more dollars a month than his previous position, totaling approximately $94 a month in income. He primarily photographed San Francisco homes and a selection were published in books and newspapers, exhibited at then San Francisco Museum of Art, and used in a photo mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
co-designed by Abbenseth and Ben Cunningham for the San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall
San Francisco City Hall, re-opened in 1915, in its open space area in the city's Civic Center, is a Beaux-Arts monument to the City Beautiful movement that epitomized the high-minded American Renaissance of the 1880s to 1917. The structure's dome is the fifth largest in the world...
. Abbenseth also worked for the Index of American Design, documenting the architecture of and artwork within Spanish missions
Spanish missions in California
The Spanish missions in California comprise a series of religious and military outposts established by Spanish Catholics of the Franciscan Order between 1769 and 1823 to spread the Christian faith among the local Native Americans. The missions represented the first major effort by Europeans to...
. He had an interest in film, and began to film his activities related to the Federal Art Project, documenting work by Sargent Johnson at Aquatic Park
Aquatic Park Historic District
Aquatic Park Historic District is a building complex on the San Francisco Bay waterfront in San Francisco, California, United States. It is located within San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and is itself a National Historic Landmark....
and the art of making stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, which was funded by the University of California. He also created a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the San Francisco Housing Authority. During his involvement in the FAP he photographed artists such as Benny Bufano
Benny Bufano
Beniamino Benvenuto Bufano was a California-based Italian American sculptor, best known for his large-scale monuments, usually of granite. His modernist work often featured smoothly rounded animals and relatively simple shapes.-Biography:Bufano was born in San Fele, Italy. He moved with his...
and Reuben Kadish
Reuben Kadish
Reuben Kadish was an American artist, specializing as a sculptor, draughtsman, muralist, painter, and printmaker. In his later career he also taught art history and sculpture in New York.-Early life:...
. Abbenseth credited his work with the Federal Art Project as being an educational, which allowed him to work with and learn from the photographers of Group f/64
Group f/64
Group f/64 was a group of seven 20th century San Francisco photographers who shared a common photographic style characterized by sharp-focused and carefully framed images seen through a particularly Western viewpoint...
and filmmaker Ralph Steiner
Ralph Steiner
Ralph Steiner was an American photographer, pioneer documentarian and a key figure among avant-garde filmmakers in the 1930s.-Biography:...
.
Notable collections
- Ball State UniversityBall State UniversityBall State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
, Muncie, IndianaMuncie, IndianaMuncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769... - Los Angeles County Museum of ArtLos Angeles County Museum of ArtThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
, Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California... - Ohio State UniversityOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, Columbus, OhioColumbus, OhioColumbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city... - SFMOMA, San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
External links
- Oral history interview with William Abbenseth, 1964 Nov. 23 in the collection of the Archives of American ArtArchives of American ArtThe Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 16 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washington, D.C...