Eugene Dana: Geometric Abstractions

Born in Marengo, IL in 1912, Eugene Dana spent his early years growing up in Clinton, Iowa. In 1936, he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and received a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In 1937, he studied Modern painting at the St. Paul School of Art with artists LeRoy Turner and Cameron Booth. In 1941, he studied at Harvard University with with the noted Bauhaus instructor, Josef Albers.

Dana’s first teaching assignment was at the South High School in Minneapolis, MN. Moving to Chicago, Dana became a longtime Professor of Art at the Institute of Design (ID) from 1947-1963. From 1966-1985, he became an instructor at the University of Illinois, Chicago (Circle campus). During his years at the ID and University of Illinois, Dana worked closely with fellow artist and instructor, Richard Koppe. Dana organized the Richard Koppe retrospective at the University of Illinois in 1977 after the artist’s untimely death.

During his lifetime, Eugene Dana accepted numerous visiting teaching positions throughout the country, including those at Drake University, Des Moines, IA; Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY; Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA and Yale University, New Haven, CT.

Dana exhibited at such national venues as the Art Institute of Chicago; the Museum of Non-Objective Painting (Guggenheim Foundation), New York, NY; the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; the University of Illinois, Chicago, IL and the St. Paul School of Art, St. Paul, MN, among others.

Together with his friend and colleague, Glenn Allen, the two artists established the Dana-Allen Dissertation Fellowship in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, of which his estate collection benefits.

Eugene Dana died in Harvard, IL in 1996.

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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  The Tempest, Scenes from the Mask: The Naiads, 1994

  Acrylic on Masonite, in artist’s painted frame

  37 3/4 x 25 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, upper left.

  #17406
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Summertime, 1980/1987

  Acrylic on Masonite, in artist’s painted frame

  48 x 48 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, lower right.

  #17403
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Untitled (Abstraction), 1982

  Acrylic on Masonite, in artist’s painted frame

  21 3/4 x 45 3/4 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, lower right.

  #17402
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Hashira - E: Pillar Painting Light, 1987

  Acrylic on Masonite, in artist’s painted frame

  56 x 16 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, upper right; Titled on label on reverse.

  #17490
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Homage to Boutet de Monvel, 1980

  Acrylic on Masonite, in artist’s painted frame

  35 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, lower left.

  #17398
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Earth Lines, 1983

  Acrylic on canvas, in artist’s painted frame

  38 x 33 1/2 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, lower right; Titled on label on reverse.

  #17408
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Vis-a-Vis, 1986

  Acrylic on Masonite, in artist’s painted frame

  41 3/4 x 48 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, lower right; Titled on label on reverse.

  #8553
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  At Rest, 1980

  Acrylic on canvas

  32 x 40 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, lower right; Titled on label on reverse.

  #17488
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Turret, 1982

  Acrylic on Masonite, in artist’s painted frame

  40 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, upper right; Titled on label on reverse.

  #17407
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Totem, 1986

  Acrylic on Masonite, in artist’s painted frame

  57 1/2 x 20 1/2 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, lower center.

  #17489
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Untitled (Abstraction), 1987

  Tempera and watercolor on paper

  26 1/2 x 37 1/2 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated, upper right; Titled on label on reverse.

  #17491
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Color Class: Red and Green, 1980

  Watercolor on paper

  18 x 18 inches

  Signed and dated Eugene Dana 1980, lower left; Titled, dated and numbered on label on reverse.

  #17505
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Night Wings, 1979

  Watercolor and collage on paper

  14 3/4 x 28 1/4 inches

  Signed and dated Eugene Dana 1979, lower right; titled, dated and numbered on label on reverse.

  #17504
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Ariel (From Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”), 1992

  Watercolor on paper

  20 x 15 inches

  Signed and dated Eugene Dana 6.22.92, lower left, titled lower right; titled, dated and numbered reverse.

  #17499
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Rainwalk, 1952

  Watercolor and tempera on paper

  28 x 20 3/4 inches

  Signed with initials E.D. and dated 1952, lower right; signed, titled and numbered on label on reverse.

  #17496

  SOLD
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Spherical Volume, 1955

  Gouache, tempera and graphite on toned paper

  22 x 21 inches

  Signed with initials E.D. and dated 1955, lower right; Signed, titled and numbered on label on reverse.

  #17497
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Aureole, 1983

  Watercolor on paper

  22 1/2 x 30 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana and dated lower right; Titled lower left.

  #17502

  SOLD
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Crack the Whip, 1950

  Watercolor and tempera on paper

  15 3/4 x 22 11/16 inches

  Signed with initials E.D. and dated, lower right; Titled and dated on reverse.

  #17404

  SOLD
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  The Greens and Violets, 1955

  Gouache on paper

  22 x 12 inches

  Signed with initials and dated E.D. 1955, lower right; titled on label on reverse.

  #17498
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Harlequin Four, 1950

  Ink and watercolor on paper

  22 x 21 1/2 inches

  Signed with initials and dated E.D. 1950, lower right; titled, dated and numbered on label on reverse.

  #17500
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  Eugene Dana

  American, 1912 - 1996

  Ibis, 1983

  Graphite and colored pencil on paper

  14 3/4 x 11 1/4 inches

  Signed Eugene Dana, lower right; dated lower right on sheet margin; titled and dated on label on reverse.

  #17503