Elizabeth de Gebele Ginno (1907–1991) was a fine artist from

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

specializing in painting and printmaking. She is known for her participation in the

Golden Gate International Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) was a World's Fair held at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California, U.S. The exposition operated from February 18, 1939, through October 29, 1939, and from May 25, 1940, through September 29, ...

(GGIE) and other Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects.

Biography

Born in 1907 in Plumstead, England while her parents were on vacation, Ginno was raised as a third generation resident of Berkeley, California. She attended

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University in Oakland, California is part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it was relocated to Oakland in ...

in Oakland, California where she majored in art and drama. While at Mills, Ginno met two of her greatest influences, photographer

Imogen Cunningham Imogen Cunningham (; April 12, 1883 – June 23, 1976) was an American photographer known for her botanical photography, nude photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes. Cunningham was a member of the California-based Group f/64, known for its ...

and her husband

Roi Partridge George Roy Partridge (October 14, 1888 – January 25, 1984), also known professionally as Roi Partridge, was an American printmaker and teacher. He was born in Centralia, Washington. At age four he moved with his family to Seattle, where his fath ...

, a famous printmaker. Ginno also met future husband Carol Aronovici while at Mills College. The two became engaged in 1928 and later married. Together they co-founded Stagecraft Studios, a theatrical supply business, before divorcing in 1934. While at Stagecraft studios, Ginno honed her skills in costume design, set design, and makeup. After her divorce, Ginno met Austrian artist and etcher John Winkler, who trained her in drawing and etching. Ginno's friendships as well as her continued artistic education led to greater artistic exposure, including exhibits at galleries and venues in Williamstown, Massachusetts, San Francisco, California, and New York City, New York. In 1949 John Winkler and Ginno married. Ginno joined the

California Society of Etchers The California Society of Printmakers (CSP) is the oldest continuously operating association of printmakers and friends of printmakers in the United States. CSP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization with an international membership of print ...

(CSE) and later served as the president for 15 years. Her work was later shown at the

Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF), comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco. FAMSF's combined attendance was 1,1 ...

, the Chicago Art Institute, and the Boston Printmakers Gallery. Called one of the "most culturally significant, pre-World War II events to affect the public perception of west coast art", the 1940

(GGIE)

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

was held on

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure a ...

outside of

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. While there, she joined sixty other artists in an Art in Action exhibit, showcasing the active creation of their art, including

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

, who created his mural, ''Pan-American Unity'' while in attendance. Ginno's costume design experience joined with her experience at the World's Fair cumulated in the creation of seventy-five sketches of "depicting men, women, and children of various cultures in traditional dress". Her etchings include depictions of Russia, Portugal, Finland, Alsatia, Croatia, Scotland, Romania, Finland and France, with relatively few from Africa, and none of Asian groups. Ginnos work "appears to have focused on countries impacted by the war in Europe". Elizabeth died in 1991 in

El Cerrito, California El Cerrito (Spanish language, Spanish for "The Little Hill") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, and forms part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a population of 25,962 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

after having worked for more than thirty five years at the Engineering Department at the University of California, Berkeley as a draftsman and illustrator.

References

External links

Elizabeth de Gebele Ginno
collection at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF)
Slideshow of Etchings of Elizabeth Ginno
from the 1940 Worlds Fair on Treasure Island {{DEFAULTSORT:Ginno, Elizabeth 1907 births 1991 deaths Golden Gate International Exposition People of the New Deal arts projects Mills College alumni 20th-century American women artists 20th-century American printmakers American women printmakers