Edward Biberman

Sepulveda Dam
Now On View Recent Acquisition

Maker

Edward Biberman (American, 1904, Philadelphia, PA - 1986, Los Angeles, CA)

Title

Sepulveda Dam

Year

1945-1946

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

Framed: 95.3 x 81.3 x 8.9 cm (37 1/2 x 32 x 3 1/2 inches) (original frame); 76.2 x 62.9 cm (30 x 24 3/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature: Signed l.r. in black block letters: BIBERMAN

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Jolie Stahl

Object Number

2024.19.43

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Art and Design from 1900 to Now
Jun 04, 2022 – Sep 01, 2026

Label copy

The Sepulveda Dam, located in California’s San Fernando Valley, was completed in 1941 by the Army Corps of Engineers. Edward Biberman saw the dam as a reflection of his own desire to return to “aspects of man’s creativity which now had new significance for me after so many years of war’s waste and destruction.” He contrasted the structure’s sweeping monumentality against a deep blue sky, grounding it with parched terrain and low vegetation. In symbolizing human aspiration, this subject gave new meaning to motifs of architecture and industry that Biberman had explored in the 1930s.

–Maureen C. O’Brien, curator of painting and sculpture

Image use

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In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Edward Biberman (American, 1904, Philadelphia, PA - 1986, Los Angeles, CA)
Sepulveda Dam, 1945-1946
Oil on canvas
Framed: 95.3 x 81.3 x 8.9 cm (37 1/2 x 32 x 3 1/2 inches) (original frame)<br>76.2 x 62.9 cm (30 x 24 3/4 inches)
Gift of Jolie Stahl 2024.19.43

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