Published: November 27, 2005 12:15 am            

George A. Bogart

Painter and University of Oklahoma Professor Emeritus of Art George Bogart died after a short but valiant battle with lung cancer Wednesday, Nov. 23. A memorial service and celebration of George's life and work will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 18, at the Untitled Artspace, 1 N.E. 3rd St. in Oklahoma City, OK. Current services are under the direction of Havenbrook Funeral Home of Norman.

Bogart was born in Duluth, Minnesota on October 30, 1933. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota at Duluth in 1956. He married his first wife, Janet Dissell, in 1956 and they moved to Seattle, where he received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1959. He taught at the University of Texas in Austin, where his three children were born, for eight years. He then taught at Penn State University for three years. In 1970 he came to the University of Oklahoma as a full professor. He married his second wife, Elyse Zaring Darnell, in 1976 and in 1978 they moved to Berkeley, where Bogart had a year-long appointment as visiting guest artist at the University of California. After returning to OU, Bogart continued to teach until his retirement in 1997. He was asked back twice to teach classes in the art department, which he thoroughly enjoyed. Professor Bogart was an exceptional teacher, inspiring his students with his passion and vast knowledge of art and painting. At museum exhibitions he would often have strangers following him around just to listen to his comments about the works on view. They would come up to him and ask questions, and he would spend as much time as they wanted talking to them and giving answers and explanations. He was generous with his time and attention to students, even when he was no longer activity teaching classes. His insight and thoughtful critiques will be missed by many who studied with him.

He was a brilliant painter with an innate feel for color and space that was amazing, family and friends said. Within the last three years he had exhibitions of new work at the Untitled Artspace in Oklahoma City, MainSite Contemporary Art in Norman, and at the University of Texas at Arlington.

He is survived by his wife, Elyse, of the home; his children Michael and wife Kim and their three children, Jordan, Natalie and Evan, of Jacksonville, Fla.; son Greg, of Norman; daughter Leslie Bogart Maggard and son, Jesse, of Waco, Texas, brother Dick and Wife Norma, of Flippen, Ark.; as well as many devoted friends and former students.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City.

Send condolences online at http://www.havenbrookfuneralhome.com/Obituaries.html

        

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