Rosamond Bernier (1916–2016) was a journalist and lecturer known for founding the Paris-based magazine ''L'oeil'' and for her presentations on art history at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 100 ...

Life and career

Bernier was born Rosamond Margaret Rosenbaum in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. At the invitation of her father, the head of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra, famous people in the classical music field visited her home, including composer

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

and conductor

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appearan ...

. While visiting Mexico during college, at a rehearsal conducted by

Carlos Chavez Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhe ...

, she met

Aaron Copland Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later a conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as "the Dean of American Com ...

, who was playing the piano, and muralist

Diego Rivera Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, known as Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957), was a prominent Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the ...

and painter

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by Culture of Mexico, the country's ...

, and befriended them all. She abandoned college (

Sarah Lawrence Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a piou ...

) and in 1946 moved to France, where she served as the first European Features Editor at ''Vogue''. Two years later, she married the journalist Georges Bernier. In 1955, they founded ''L'oeil'', an English language, Paris-based art journal. ''L'oeil'' published original work by famous artists, including some whose friendship she chronicled in her 1991 memoir, "Matisse, Picasso, Miro: As I Knew Them.". A subsidiary of the magazine produced 16 art books under the Bernier imprint. In 1970, they divorced after a 20-year marriage, and Bernier moved to New York City. There, she began a new career as what she called a "professional talker" on art and artists at the

. Her 8pm lectures, delivered without notes and in full evening wear, sold out months in advance. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she interviewed artists and narrated documentaries on television networks, including CBS and PBS. In 1975, she married ''New York Times'' art critic

John Russell John Russell may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Russell (English painter) (1745–1806), English painter * John Russell (Australian painter) (1858–1930), Australian painter * John Russell (screenwriter) (1885–1956), author and scree ...

, who had once been a contributor to ''L'oeil''; at the wedding, Copland and Bernstein played central roles, and architect

Philip Johnson Philip Cortelyou Johnson (July 8, 1906 – January 25, 2005) was an American architect best known for his works of modern and postmodern architecture. Among his best-known designs are his modernist Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut; the p ...

hosted the event. After some 250 performances, Bernier stopped lecturing in 2008, the year Russell died. At her farewell lecture, before a standing ovation, Bernier spoke about the history of fashion and concluded by thanking the museum, her audience, and her husband, "who will never admit it, but he wrote some of my best lines." In recognition of her contributions to French culture, she was made "Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French government in 1980, and a "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" in 1999. That year, King Juan Carlos I of Spain awarded her the "Cross of Isabel la Católica" for her contributions to Spanish culture. In 1998 she and

were each named "Fellows for Life" by the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts. In 2004, they were named "National Treasures" by the Municipal Art Society of New York.

Lectures

Thirteen of her lectures at the Metropolitan Museum have been videotaped for commercial distribution. Her first series of five hour-long programs on Matisse, Picasso, and Miró and her second four-part series on French Impressionism have been broadcast on national public television.

Publications

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Life and career

Lectures

Publications

References

Further reading