Biography
Dolya Goutman was born in the Caucasus by the Black Sea in Tsarist Russia on May 5, 1915, and died in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania on December 15, 2001. A prolific painter, Goutman’s paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States, Europe, Russia and Asia and are part of collections around the world.
Goutman was born into a prosperous family—his father was a clothing manufacturer who supplied uniforms for the Tsar’s army.
Goutman with his father, Eli, in Russia
Goutman’s childhood was marked by World War I, the abdication of Tsar Nicholas in 1917, and the onset of the Russian civil war, which was fought in the streets of his city (Krosnodar) until 1920, when the Bolsheviks prevailed.
Goutman with his brother Manny in Russia
With that, the family’s business and home were confiscated, and in 1924, the family embarked on six-year journey to Latvia and finally to America, then in the throes of the Great Depression.
Goutman (top row, second from right) at school in Latvia
Goutman with brother in Latvia
Goutman was a child prodigy and in Latvia received his first formal training.
Goutman in Latvia
Goutman drawing in Latvia at age 12
Goutman drawing in Latvia at age 12
That training continued in Detroit, where his family settled in 1930, and then at the Art Institute of Chicago, where Goutman was a scholarship student studying under Russian artist Boris Anisfeld from 1935 to 1940. In that year, Goutman was awarded a Foreign Travel Fellowship and, having watched Diego Rivera paint the Detroit Industry Murals, Goutman chose Mexico, where he stayed for two years. During that time, he came to know the great Mexican muralists.
Goutman in Mexico
Goutman in Mexico
Retuning to America in 1942, Goutman settled in Los Angeles, California, where he was an art director for Columbia Pictures and painted portraits of many Hollywood stars, including Clark Gable, Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Charles Chaplin, Gary Cooper and others.
Goutman, back to camera with Clark Gable
Goutman with conductor Leopold Stokowski with Goutman’s portrait of Russian composer Dimitri Shostakovich
In Hollywood, Goutman joined a Russian and Eastern European emigre community that included director John Hoffman, film composer Dimitri Tiomkin, and montage innovator Slavko Vorkapic.
Goutman with Vorkopic at one of Goutman’s exhibitions in Los Angeles
During World War II, Goutman served in the United States Army, first connected with the USO and “Hollywood Canteen” providing art therapy for wounded soldiers, and then overseas in Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Germany and Austria.
Goutman at Hollywood Canteen
Goutman with Russian soldiers in Germany
Upon his return to the States in 1947, Goutman met and married New York actress Lois Claire and moved to Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, where he became Art Department Chair at Harcum Junior College.
Publicity photo of Lois Claire circa 1947
Goutman with Lois and painting of Akim Tamiroff Goutman painted for the movie, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Goutman and Lois in Rosemont, Pennsylvania with their three sons, Andrew, Thomas, and Christopher, Circa 1958
In 1952, Goutman joined the faculty of Moore College of Art, where he served as Head of the Painting Department and taught until his retirement in 1985.
Goutman with Hollywood friend actor Sydney Chaplin and Moore College colleagues during Philadelphia tryouts for musical Funny Girl in 1964. Among Goutman’s colleagues are prominent Philadelphia Artist Leonard Nelson ( far left ), and Alden Wicks ( seated, far right ).
Goutman earned an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania in 1952 and in 1995 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Moore College of Art and Design.
Goutman with student in his office at Moore
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GOUTMAN’S ART
Like the peripatetic refugee always on the move, Goutman never sat still artistically. His artistic temperament was too restless, inquisitive, and self-critical to paint the same painting over and over again. Throughout his life, Goutman spent hours re-examining the works of his favorite painters: Titian, Tintoretto, Durer, van der Weyden, Rembrandt, Rubens, Velasquez, El Greco, Goya, Delacroix, Constable, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Degas, Picasso, Bonnard, Kokoshka, Schiele, Klimt, Klee, Miro, Bacon, and so on. Out of that came very different ways of communicating essentially the same subject matter: the human figure, landscapes, and later on, abstractions.
In the 1930’s, the human figure was depicted with pencil and paper with graceful literalness. In the 40’s and 50’s, the human figure’s features became distorted, the mood one of conflict and tension, the surface, heavily pigmented oil. In the 60’s, the human figure was depicted with household enamel paint dripped onto particle board or canvas. In the early 70’s, Goutman’s paintings were characterized by flat acrylic surfaces and a greatly simplified visual vocabulary. Also in the 70’s, Goutman returned to oils, painting portraits of striking psychological insight. In the 80’s and 90’s, Goutman continued to use largely acrylics but in a less decorative manner. The 90’s saw variations and syntheses of what had come before and challenging discoveries of new artistic territory.
The same evolution can be traced in his landscapes. And, in his last ten years, Goutman painted numerous abstractions.
What did all of these styles have in common? A clean and colorful palette. A fearless brushstroke that spoke of both precision and energy. And, perhaps foremost, a generosity of spirit. There was nothing cynical, smug, or nihilistic about Goutman’s work. He invested much of himself in his subjects. Goutman’s belief in the legitimacy and dignity of his subject matter, and the visual intelligence of his audience, finds expression in every single one of his paintings.
Selected Collections
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia
Tretiakov State Museum, Moscow, USSR
Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona
Governor's Mansion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia
Butler Institute of American Art, Ohio
Lehigh University, Bethlehem
Temple University, Philadelphia
LaSalle College, Philadelphia
Haverford College, Radnor
St. Joseph's College, Philadelphia
Harcum Jr. College, Philadelphia
The White House, Washington, D.C.
SKF Industries, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington Delaware
Villanova University, Villanova
Selected Exhibitions
Raymond and Raymond Gallery, Beverly Hills, California
Vigoveno Art Galleries, Westwood, California
California Art Club, Los Angeles, California
The Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, California
Actors' Lab Theater, Hollywood, California
Cathay Circle Theater, Beverly Hills, California
Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia Civic Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Junto Galleries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania School of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Walnut Street Theater Galleries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Beryl Lush Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chester County Art Association, West Chester, Pennsylvania
Phillip's Mill, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Gloria Del (Old Swedes') Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fidelity-Philadelphia Bank and Trust Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Gallery 306, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Norlyst Gallery, New York City, New York
The Newman Art Galleries, Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Calgary Allied Arts Center, Canada
Massillon Museum, Ohio
Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
University of South Carolina, South Carolina
University of Tulsa, Oklahoma
University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin
Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Maryland
Rosemount College, Rosemont, Pennsylvania
Cabrini College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jun Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
John Wanamaker Fine Arts Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Faculty Club, University of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Main Point, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
TV Guide Building, St. David's Pennsylvania
Radnor School Administration Building Art Galleries, Radnor, Pennsylvania
The Pyramid Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Carl Schurz Memorial Foundation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Academy of Notre Dame De Namur
Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York
Bob Jones University, South Carolina
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan
Atlanta Art Institute, Atlanta, Georgia
Washington County Museum, Hagerstown, Maryland
International House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Upper Main Line YMCA, Pennsylvania
Main Line Center of the Arts, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Wayne Art Center Wayne, Pennsylvania
The Episcopal Academy, Merion, Pennsylvania
The Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Friends Central School, Overbrook, Pennsylvania
University of British Columbia, Canada
University of Manitoba, Canada
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
American College, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Yokum Institute of Arts, West Lawn, PA
Goutman also exhibited under the auspices of the cultural Relations Section of the U.S. Foreign Service. His works were included in the exhibition organized for the San Francisco Peace Conference.
Selected Awards and Citations
Foreign Travel Fellowship from the Art Institute of Chicago
Birmingham General Hospital, Van Nuys, California Citation of Merit
Hollywood Canteen, Hollywood, California, Citation of Merit
Cinecolor Corporation Award
Woodmere Art Museum, 1st Prize
Raymond and Raymond Galleries, Beverly Hills, California, 1st Prize
James Vigoveno Galleries, Beverly Hills, California, 1st Prize
United States European Theater, Citation of Merit
Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina, Purchase Prize
Artist's Equity, 1st Prize
Art Teachers' Association Award
Butler Art Institute Purchase Prize
Woodmere Alt Museum, Purchase Prize
Casa Fomiq, Medal of Honor, 1998