Vera Klement (December 14, 1929 – October 20, 2023) was an American artist, and Professor Emerita at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. She was a 1981

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

Biography

Born Vera Klementovna Shapiro in Danzig, Klement graduated from

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

in 1950. She taught at University of Chicago, from 1969 to 1995. In 1973, Klement was a founding member of

Artemisia Gallery Artemisia Gallery was an alternative exhibition space in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that operated from 1973 until its closure in 2003. History The gallery was a cooperative, started by 20 women who were frustrated by the lack of opportuni ...

, one of the Midwest's first feminist Cooperative Galleries located in Chicago, Illinois. In 1987, she showed at the

Renaissance Society The Renaissance Society, founded in 1915, is a leading independent contemporary art museum located on the campus of the University of Chicago, with a focus on the commissioning and production of new works by international artists. The kunsthalle- ...

. She was 2003 visiting artist, at

Goshen College Goshen College is a Private college, private Mennonite Church USA, Mennonite Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Goshen, Indiana. It was founded in 1894 as the Elkhart Institute of Science, Industry and the Arts, a ...

, and 2007 artist in residence at

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...

. Her work is in the collection of the state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, The Kentucky Center for the Arts, and the Krannert Art Museum.

Personal life

Klement lived in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. She was married first to Israeli violinist Werner Torkanowsky and later to composer and conductor

Ralph Shapey Ralph Shapey (12 March 1921 – 13 June 2002) was an American composer and conductor. Biography Shapey was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is known for his work as a composition professor at the University of Chicago, where he taught ...

, but both marriages ended in divorce. Klement died on October 20, 2023, of complications from cancer and COVID-19 in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

References

External links

*http://veraklement.com/ *http://www.printworkschicago.com/artists/klement/klement.htm *http://www.pkf-imagecollection.org/html/artistresults.asp?artist=1249&testing=true *https://web.archive.org/web/20120406122842/http://www.fassbendergallery.com/artists/VeraKlement/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20120406122842/http://www.fassbendergallery.com/artists/VeraKlement/statements.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20140110100515/http://www.luc.edu/luma/flash/35_klement.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Klement, Vera 1929 births 2023 deaths American artists 20th-century American artists 20th-century American women artists Cooper Union alumni Polish emigrants to the United States People from the Free City of Danzig Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois