Robert B. Berkshire, abstract expressionist painter and professor emeritus at Herron School of Art and Design, 1932–2010
Indianapolis native Robert B. Berkshire was a scholarship student at the John Herron Art Institute, graduating in 1954 with a diploma in fine arts. A Fulbright Fellowship funded his yearlong studies in Italy. He earned a master’s degree in fine arts from Florida State University in 1958 and returned to Indianapolis to teach at his undergraduate alma mater. He remained a beloved member of the Herron faculty until his retirement in 1996.
Berkshire painted with a verve that leapt from the canvas. He painted the way he lived: Large. He became one of Indianapolis’ best-known painters. Through his estate planning, Berkshire made permanent resources available for painting scholarships, gallery support and unrestricted funds at Herron.
The Robert B. Berkshire gallery was named in his honor.