The Art of Harry Davis

Renowned for his meticulous renderings of Indiana landmarks, artist Harry A. Davis Jr. (1914-2006) inspires a devoted following among Hoosier art and architecture enthusiasts. Following studies at Indianapolis’s Herron School of Art in the 1930s, Davis launched a prolific career. In 1938, he won the prestigious Prix de Rome fellowship in painting, which led to work in Europe and North Africa. After serving as artist-in-residence in Wisconsin’s Beloit College in 1941-42, Davis enlisted in the U.S. Army, working as a combat artist in Italy during World War II before returning home to join Herron’s faculty. From figurative work that captured scenes from his rural Indiana upbringing to the paintings of buildings destined for demolition, Davis has left behind a legacy of hundreds of paintings.

On June 7, Rachel Berenson Perry, fine arts curator emerita of the Indiana State Museum, presents an illustrated talk at Indiana Landmarks Center sharing the pivotal events of Davis’s life that shaped and inspired his art, offering a comprehensive picture of Harry Davis as teacher, husband, father, and artist. “He was exacting but sympathetic as a teacher and really productive and driven in his career,” says Perry. “He had these really precise images of Indianapolis buildings and other places too, like perfectly measured moments of his time and place.”

Tickets cost $5/general public and are free with RSVP for Indiana Landmarks members. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with program from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Indiana Landmarks Center (which is accessible to all) or online via Zoom.

Following the talk, attendees are invited to view a companion exhibit of Harry Davis’s work at a free First Friday opening reception in Rapp Family Gallery. Presented in partnership with Herron School of Art and Design and IUPUI University Library Special Collections and Archives. This program has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Refund requests are approved on a case-by-case basis.

Host or Publisher Indiana Landmarks