Leonard Maurer was known for his abstract and modernist compositions in painting and printmaking.
Maurer got a late start in art. He was young when his father died, forcing Maurer to leave school for work. He worked as a copy boy for the Newark Evening News, as a clerk at Mosiman’s Book Store, as a publisher’s sales rep, and perhaps most importantly at a print company, where he developed skills in sketching and printmaking. Even then, though, he still did not start an art career; he enlisted in the Army during World War II and fought in the infantry in North Ireland, France, and Germany.
Finally, after the war, he moved to DC to work for the Army Map Service as a cartographer. That launched him: After three years in that job, he quit work and enrolled in art classes full time at American University, where he studied with Robert Gates, William Calfee, Sarah Baker, Jack Tworkov, and Karl Knaths. After graduating in 1952, he joined the art faculty at Mt. Vernon Seminary. He would serve as chairman of the department for many years. He was also the director of children’s education for the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Although Maurer tended toward abstraction, his cartography experience led him towards an interest in nature. This interest is seen in his later work which are expressive, natural forms that convey a sense of mystery. Maurer’s most notable technique, though, is the manner in which he highlights his compositions, using accents of rich color to convey a sense of space.
Maurer was quiet but successful. His work has been widely exhibited across the United States, including hanging in the White House in 1969. He showed often at DC’s Jefferson Place Gallery (of which he was a founder), at the Franz Bader Gallery, and at the Corcoran (where he had two solo shows and participated in every Corcoran Biennial between 1951–61). The Phillips Collection holds a dozen Maurer works in its permanent collection and four works by Maurer are found at the Smithsonian American Museum of Art.
Despite his success, Maurer was too shy to promote himself. He died without a museum retrospective even though, according to critic Jo Ann Lewis, “he surely deserved one”. After his death, Maurer’s devoted friends formed The Maurer Charitable Trust, determined “to do for Leonard what he had been too shy to do for himself—to get his art out where people could see it.” Through their work, three years after his death the Phillips Collection, Franz Bader Gallery, and the Watkins Gallery at American University held simultaneous exhibitions celebrating his career in DC.
The Phillips Collection holds a dozen Maurer works in its permanent collection, and four works by Maurer are found at the Smithsonian American Museum of Art.
