Former Design Chair Lloyd Burlingame Receives Solo Retrospective in the Berkshires

Thursday, Aug 8, 2024

Rectangles and Circles, Acrylic, by Lloyd Burlingame

Rectangles and Circles, Acrylic, by Lloyd Burlingame

Lloyd Burlingame, Chair of the Design Department from 1971-1997, has received a solo retrospective exhibition in Stockbridge, Mass entitled Summer Energy: Works 1962-1987.

Burlingame began his career as a designer for theater legends including Franco Zeffirelli, Peter Brook, and David Merrick, then joined Tisch Design as Chair and professor for twenty-six years. Facing irreversible vision loss in his 40s, Burlingame turned his attention to large-scale abstract paintings and multimedia fabric collages. This period resulted in 72 major paintings and multimedia works, many of which are displayed in Summer Energy: Works 1962-1987.

The exhibit showcases Burlingame’s theatrical and costume designs, ‘dream paintings,’ and other watercolors from the 60s and 70s. It also features many of the large-scale abstract works on canvas, paper, and fabric he crafted during 15 months in 1986-87 — the last art he was able to make before losing his eyesight.

You can learn more about the exhibit here.