| Clyde Singer | ||
| Birth Date: October 20, 1908 |
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| Death Date: 1999 Artist Gallery |
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| Clyde Singer was born in Malvern, Ohio, on October 20, 1908 and started drawing with crayons by the age of 5. While still in high school, he turned his talent to making signs for local farmers and businesses. At twenty Singer got a job at a Canton sign-painting company where he swept floors and completed odd jobs. When Canton’s Alhambra Theater, on North Market Street, commissioned a life-size cutout figure of a woman to advertise a movie called The Sacred Flame, Singer create his version of one of his women. This prompted the management to “cover her up” with a Coming Attraction panel.
Singer went on to study for two years at the Columbus School of Art, and realizing his talent there, he submitted 200 works and an application for a scholarship to the Arts Students League in New York City. After winning the scholarship, Singer stayed in New York for only one year and then returned to Malvern to paint the American Scene. During this period, most museums preferred European art and would not purchase works by American artists: so regionalists such as Singer entered competitive exhibitions where cash prizes were offered.
By 1939, painters of the American Scene were receiving less notoriety and also less prize money. So, when Joseph Butler III offered him a job at the Butler Institute for the second time, Singer accepted. In November 1941, Singer married Bernice Elizabeth Shimp. When World War II erupted a month later, 34-year-old Singer was drafted and served for over three years with the Eighth Army.
After the war, Singer returned to his position at the Butler Institute, which he held until his death in 1999. During his unusually long career, Singer has become one of Ohio’s best-known and most beloved painters. Collectors of his work can be found across the country from large cities to small towns.
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