Beckmann, Robert, 1942-

American artist Robert Beckmann was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1942, and grew up in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio in 1964. He went on to earn a Master of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. He taught at Northern Illinois University for four years, leaving in 1971 to pursue a career as a professional artist. Robert Beckmann arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1977 and was selected as the project artist and director of the Las Vegas Community Murals Project, the first public art project of its kind in Las Vegas. The project involved Beckmann working with local high school students to paint murals on public buildings across Las Vegas. Beckmann remained in Las Vegas while continuing his career. His work has been exhibited in museums around the world, and over 200 of his murals exist in both public and commercial spaces across the United States. He is best known for an exhibition of large-scale paintings entitled The Body of a House, which is permanently housed in the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno, Nevada. Beckmann was awarded the Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in the Arts from the State of Nevada in 1996. As of 2020, Robert Beckmann resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sources:

Cling, Carol. “Artist Robert Beckmann Incorporates Las Vegas Into His Works.” Las Vegas Review-Journal, February 14, 2017. https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/arts-culture/artist-robert-beckmann-incorporates-las-vegas-into-his-works/

obert Beckmann. "Robert Beckmann Biography." Accessed February 14, 2020. https://robertbeckmann.com/bio_full.html Smallworks Press. “Robert Beckmann Biography.” Accessed February 14, 2020. http://www.smallworksgallery.com/beckmannbio.html