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Dennis Gallagher
Sculpture; Ceramics
American
(San Bruno, California, 1952 - 2009)
Bio below Published in San Francisco Chronicle from April 23 to April 26, 2009.
Dennis Patrick Gallagher A sculptor represented by the Rena Bransten Gallery, died Monday following complications from a sudden illness. Dennis was born in San Bruno to Eugene and Dagmar Gallagher in 1952 and raised in the Bay Area. He attended Cappuccino High School where - to the likely surprise of those who know only Dennis' sensitive side - he played varsity football. He received his Bachelor of Art and his Masters of Art from California State University, Fresno in 1976. During his career he taught at California College of Arts, Santa Clara University, the San Francisco Art Institute, and Mills College. Working with the San Francisco Arts Education Project he was an artist-in-residence at Glen Park Elementary School. The abstract ceramic artworks Dennis created reflect his attraction to the visceral qualities and sometimes precarious balances of life. His works often consisted of large irregular shapes inspired by natural formations or tools, architectural fragments, and always reflected his passion for form and space. His works are in the permanent collections of the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, the Fresno Art Museum, Runnymede Sculpture Park in Woodside, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Jose Museum of Art, the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University, and The Rene di Rosa Preserve in Napa. Dennis loved to talk and he loved to argue, particularly at a leisurely meal armed with a good, but not too expensive, bottle of wine. He had a passion and talent for cooking, amassed a library of cookbooks, and spent countless hours at grocery stores, warehouse food shops, and farmer's markets searching for ingredients that appealed to him. He was a warm and generous host and loved preparing large feasts for his guests. Dennis loved his family and friends and they loved him back equally. Trish Bransten, who first spotted Dennis serving wine at a Rena Bransten Gallery opening in 1981 and married him in 1988, was his "rock." He was exceptionally proud of his children Rena and Sam Gallagher who have inherited Dennis' wit and artistic sensibility. He will be missed by his sister and brother Micaela Reynolds and David Gallagher and many many others. A memorial gathering will be held at the Rena Bransten Gallery on Monday, April 27 at three o'clock (for more information 415-982-3292). In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the charity of your choice.


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Biography

Born in San Bruno, California in 1952, Gallagher received his B.F.A. in 1974 and his M.A. in 1976 from California State University at Fresno. He taught for over thirty years at institutions such as the California College of Arts and Crafts, San Francisco and Oakland; San Francisco Art Institute; and University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. His work is in the permanent collections of the Crocker Museum of Art, Sacramento, California; Fresno Art Museum, California; Runnymede Sculpture Farm, Woodside, California; San Francisco Museum of Art; and di Rosa Preserve, Napa, California. Gallagher lived and worked in San Francisco, where he died in 2009.

This would be the second work by Gallagher to enter SJMA’s collection. (SJMA Collections Committee, 2010)




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