Sketch of violinist Jory Fankuchen at Tanglewood, 2003, by Sol Schwartz. ©2003 Sol Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Norman Rockwell Museum is saddened to learn of the passing of Sol Schwartz, a local artist and member of the Museum’s National Council. A part-time resident of the Berkshires, Mr. Schwartz became known for the drawings he created as an audience member and supporter of the many cultural venues in the area, including Tanglewood, Jacob’s Pillow, and Shakespeare & Company. Over the years, Schwartz completed thousands of studies, including likenesses of such musical, dance and theater superstars as André Previn, Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax, Seiji Ozawa, Yo-Yo Ma, Katherine Dunham, Savion Glover, Mark Morris, and many others. In 2011, Norman Rockwell Museum presented a summer exhibition of his work, Sol Schwartz: Drawing in the Dark.
“Sol was a true Renaissance man, a man of wide-ranging creative talents,” remembers Museum Director Laurie Norton Moffatt. “His penchant for ‘scribbling,’ as he called it, captured the most remarkably vibrant likenesses of musicians, dancers, and actors. A talented musician himself, he and his dear wife Elayne had a deep and abiding affection for performing arts – yet it was his uncanny ability to draw in the dark on any scrap of paper without looking at his pen or paper, while enjoying performances, that captured my imagination and, to my mind, reflected his great artistic genius. I am honored we were able to present his work at Norman Rockwell Museum. He will be greatly missed in our Berkshire community, and I shall miss him dearly as a friend.Our hearts go out to his family and wide community of friends.”
Related Links:
“Artist Sol Schwartz Dies; Captured Berkshire Arts on Sketch Pad,” Berkshire Eagle, December 29, 2015
“A Personal Thank-You To Sol Schwartz,” Berkshire Edge, December 27, 2015