Renowned Abstract Painter Siri Berg Donates Original Artwork to BMCC

The artwork of internationally renowned abstract painter Siri Berg is on permanent display at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm, Sweden — and now, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) can be added to that distinguished list.

Siri Berg’s donation to BMCC of her 2015 artwork “The Black Sheep,” an oil-on-board piece measuring 60 inches tall and 10 inches wide, was recognized at a gathering in BMCC’s Shirley Fiterman Art Center (SFAC) on February 2. Guests included BMCC President Antonio Pérez and friend to the College, Patricia L. Rosenfield.

“At BMCC, we are committed to the intellectual as well as personal growth of our students,” said President Pérez. “In fact, that is stated clearly in our mission. Siri Berg’s generous donation of this original artwork, ‘The Black Sheep’, will contribute to an overall learning environment at BMCC that confirms our respect for students’ artistic and academic potential, as well as their career goals.” 

“We are so honored to have this gift by Siri Berg for our permanent collection,” said Kathleen Kucka, Curator of the SFAC. “We are excited to hang it in the eighth-floor Study Center in the Miles and Shirley Fiterman Hall. We love to surround students with beautiful works of art. It’s inspirational and uplifting.”

A solo retrospective, “Siri Berg: In Color,” was displayed November 17, 2016 through February 4, 2017 in the SFAC. A review by April Koral, “Siri Berg’s Half-Century Passion for Color and Shape at Fiterman Art Center,” appeared in the Tribeca Tribune on December 29, 2016 and notes that “… this painter, who is 95 and still making art in her Soho studio, does not just work in color, she revels in it, creating canvases of unbounded exuberance and subtle beauty.”

The gathering in SFAC gave attendees a chance to meet an artist who has contributed significantly to the school of modern abstract art.

Siri Berg, who was born in 1921 in Stockholm, Sweden, received her B.A. from the Institute of Art and Architecture at the University of Brussels. She is a long-time member of American Abstract Artists and served as a Professor of Color Theory at Parsons School of Design for more than 30 years.