Theodore "Ted" Odza (1915–1998) was an American artist, curator, and educator, known for his sculptures and abstract paintings. He taught art classes at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, and later served as the chair of the art department of

Laney College Laney College is a public community college in Oakland, California. Laney is the largest of the four colleges of the Peralta Community College District which serves northern Alameda County. Laney College is named after Joseph Clarence Laney. ...

. Additionally, he curated multiple national touring art exhibitions of Central European artists.

Biography

Theodore Odza was born on January 7, 1915, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. His father Herbert G. Odza, was born in

Halych Halych (, ; ; ; ; , ''Halitsch'' or ''Galitsch''; ) is a historic List of cities in Ukraine, city on the Dniester River in western Ukraine. The city gave its name to the Principality of Halych, the historic province of Galicia (Eastern Europe), ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

; and his mother Lena (née Fischman) was born in New York City. There were six children in the family, five brothers and one sister. Odza graduated (B.A. 1959 and M.A. 1961, 1963) from University of California, Berkeley, where he studied under Sidney Gordin,

Harold Paris Harold Persico Paris (1925–1979) was an American printmaker, sculptor and educator. He taught art classes at the University of California, Berkeley from 1963 until 1979. Early life and education Paris was born on August 16, 1925, in Edgemere ...

, and Wilfrid Zogbaum. In the 1960s and 1970s, he made abstract expressionist metal sculptures, often constructed with steel or bronze. In 1963 to 1964, Odza taught at the

Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw () is a public university of visual arts and applied arts located in the Polish capital. The academy traces its history back to the Department of Arts founded at the Warsaw University in the Duchy of Warsaw in 18 ...

(). During his time in Poland he created many new artist connections, and in the following years he curated national touring art exhibitions of Central European artists. Most notably, he curated the exhibition ''Contemporary Painters from Hungary'' (1985) at Gallery Route One. Odza's work can be found in public museum art collections include

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern art, modern and contemporary art museum and nonprofit organization located in San Francisco, California. SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art ...

, and

Oakland Museum of California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

Personal life

Odza was married in 1940 to dancer Mimi Kagan, which ended in divorce in 1958. Odza married Janice Marie Gale Johnson in 1962.

Exhibitions

* September 1963 – Ted Odza and Mildred Lachman, Quay Gallery, San Francisco, California * October 1963 – solo exhibition of metal sculpture,

Richmond Art Center Richmond Art Center is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit arts organization based in Richmond, California, founded in 1936. History In 1936, Richmond-resident Hazel Salmi began teaching classes under the Emergency Education Program (EEP) of the ...

, Richmond, California * June 1964 – solo exhibition, Gallery of Contemporary Art in Warsaw,

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

* February–April 1982 – ''Theodore Odza - Welded Steel Sculpture'',

Palo Alto Art Center The Palo Alto Art Center is a multi-purpose center open to the public for art activities for all ages, located at 1313 Newell Road in Palo Alto, California, Palo Alto, California. It is managed by the City of Palo Alto, California, Palo Alto, ...

, Palo Alto, California * July 1982 – ''Theodore Odza Sculpture'', Douglas Elliott gallery, San Francisco, California

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Odza, Theodore 1915 births 1998 deaths Artists from New York City People from Inverness, California Artists from Berkeley, California University of California, Berkeley faculty American people of Ukrainian descent Abstract expressionist artists University of California, Berkeley alumni Laney College faculty