Bryson, Bernarda (1903–2004)

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Bryson, Bernarda (1903–2004)

American illustrator. Name variations: Bernarda Bryson Shahn. Born Mar 7, 1903, in Athens, Ohio; died Dec 12, 2004, in Roosevelt, Monmouth Co., New Jersey; dau. of the owner of the Athens Morning Journal; studied painting, printmaking and philosophy at Ohio University, Ohio State University, and Cleveland School of Art; m. 2nd husband Ben Shahn (artist), 1969 (having lived with him since 1933); children: son Jonathan (sculptor) and daughters Susanna Watts (died 1967) and Abby Shahn (painter).

Wrote and illustrated children's books, including The Zoo of Zeus (1964) and Gilgamesh (1967); also did portraits; series of lithographs published as The Vanishing American Frontier (1995); later in life, became known for her paintings, which were realistic and mysterious in style; work is in the permanent collection of Whitney Museum, among others.