“Of Portraiture & Polio – A Tribute Exhibition in Memory of David Emerson Baum” opens Jan. 6 at The Baum School of Art in Allentown.
The exhibition honors the late David Emerson Baum, grandson of the founder of the Baum School of Art, Walter Emerson Baum, via a loving series of portraits of David as painted by Walter Baum. The portraits focus upon the first two decades of David’s lifespan.
Included in the exhibition is the first public viewing of an evocative, unfinished portrait of David that Walter Baum was painting on the eve of his death in 1956. In this day and age of selfies and social media, the timeless power of portraiture echoes through these images of David as painted by his grandfather.
Notably, David Baum was not just an artist’s model, he was an eight-decade-long polio survivor. Although this crippling disease forever affected him and curbed his mobility, he transcended his disability never allowing polio to define him. Walter was a constant in his grandson’s world as well as with David’s working with his physical challenges.
The two enjoyed one another’s company as Walter taught art classes, prepared for art exhibitions, and worked as an art journalist during the Pennsylvania art scene’s Mid-20th Century heyday. Their artful adventures continued throughout David’s youth until the time of Walter’s passing.
David contracted polio at the age of 3 in 1938 during one of the more deadly waves of the 20th century epidemic. He passed in summer of 2021.
Walter and David’s legacies are forever entwined at The Baum School of Art. David’s footprint joins that of his grandfather’s with the establishment of a memorial scholarship fund in his honor. As the Baum School approaches its 100th anniversary, future generations will be encouraged to transcend barriers and reach their full potential in the arts through the David Emerson Baum Memorial Scholarship Fund and the many other initiatives promoting exposure to the arts as originally envisioned by Walter and his wife, Flora Baum.
“Of Portraiture & Polio - A tribute exhibition in memory of David Emerson Baum” runs Jan. 6 through Feb. 4 at the Baum School of Art. A reception for this special collection of works will be held during Allentown’s Third Thursday event, from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 19. The exhibition was curated by Holly Harter, cousin and friend to David Emerson Baum who serves as a Trustee on the board of the Baum School of Art.
For information, visit baumschool.org/exhibitions/a-tribute-exhibition-in-memory-of-david-emerson-baum.
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