Ben Norris: American Modernist, 1910-2006

This richly illustrated book celebrates the life and work of Ben Norris, who was highly influential in shaping the course of modern art in Hawai‘i. Shortly after his arrival in 1936, Norris joined the faculty of the University of Hawai‘i, where he served as chair of the Department of Art from 1945 to 1955. He helped to develop a serious school of contemporary art at the university by inviting internationally acclaimed artists such as Max Ernst, Jean Charlot, Josef and Annie Albers, and Dorothea Tanning to visit and teach.

• Ben Norris, Author

• “It is seldom that artists maintain a careful, detailed record of their lives and accomplishments and even more rare that they are able to develop a narrative account of the kind that is presented in this volume. I did not know Norris well as a person, but after reading his words have gained appreciation and understanding that have greatly strengthened my admiration for Ben, his achievements, and work. . . . [Norris] was a highly intelligent, complicated, driven, introspective, and extremely gifted artist whose entire life was devoted to realizing and perfecting his art, while exploring and pursuing social and religious issues and causes which were central to his being. He will be remembered as an artist of importance and a person of strength, integrity, and conviction.”
  —George R. Ellis