BEVERLY ROSEN PAPERS

Collection

Identifier: WH2051

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection spans 1952-2002 and documents Rosen's career as an artist. Photographs of Rosen's paintings comprise the bulk of the collection.

SERIES 1 PAPERS 1964-2002 BOX 1

Brochures, written reviews, newspaper clippings and articles document Rosen's art exhibits. Additional papers provide insurance and planning details. Numerous pages from Rosen's sketchbooks and a typed manuscript detailing her career complete the series.

SERIES 2 PHOTOGRAPHS 1952-1999 PHOTOBOX 1

The bulk of the photographs in the series depict individual paintings. The series includes color and black and white photographs, transparancies, negatives, slides and Polaroid prints. Limited photographs document Rosen's work as a sculptor, and two portrait photographs complete the series.

Dates

1952-2002

Language of Materials

Material is in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Copyright

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Biographical / Historical

Beverly (Ullian) Rosen was born September 9, 1924, in Everett, Massachusetts. Following a difficult childhood, during which her maternal grandparents became her primary care givers, Rosen won a full scholarship to Boston's Simmons College in 1941. Beverly met Bernard S. Rosen in 1942 when they worked as camp counselors for underprivileged children in northern Massachusetts. They were married in 1944, while Bernard served in the Army during World War II.

Rosen graduated with a bachelor of science degree in home economics from Simmons College in 1945. She worked briefly with the American Red Cross, while Bernard worked for an insurance company. In 1951, the Rosens moved to Denver, Colorado, where Bernard opened an insurance office.

Rosen began her art studies working in Abstract Expressionism at the University of Colorado's Denver Center in 1957. When she decided to pursue a graduate degree in art, she applied to the University of Colorado, Boulder, and was rejected. Subsequently, she applied to the University of Denver and was accepted.

By 1960, Rosen completed her undergraduate studies, earning the equivalent of a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in painting from the University of Denver. In 1964, Rosen joined the University of Denver faculty, beginning a teaching career that spanned 19 years. She began to sell her work in 1964. Rosen earned a full teaching position in 1967, and in 1975 she became the first female tenured faculty member in the art department.

During the 1970s, Rosen helped to found the Denver Sculpture Symposium, a group that created the D.C. Burns Sculpture Park, located at the corner of East Alameda Avenue and South Colorado Boulevard, in Denver. She participated in several of the group's exhibitions. Rosen also managed an art gallery, St. Charles on Wazee, which featured contemporary artwork by Colorado artists.

Rosen exhibited her artwork in numerous art shows during her career. Selected for the 73rd Western Annual Exhibition, she was one of only seven women among the 115 regional artists chosen.

The Rosens moved to St. Croix, Virgin Islands where they lived for more than five years before returning to Denver. Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1997, Rosen died at a nursing home in Aurora, Colorado on May 5, 2006.