1950
Contemporary Furniture by Nakashima
October 1951 Contemporary Furniture by Nakashima, Philadelphia Art Alliance
1950
1950
Bill Haley Rocket 88
Rocket 88 (a rhythm and blues record written by Ike Turner) is covered by Bill Haley and His Saddleman (later the Comets) by Holiday Record label in Philadelphia owned by Dave Miller. Credited by some as the first rock and roll record.
1950
1950
1950
Holmes Perkins becomes the Dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts at UPenn
Holmes Perkins becomes the Dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts at UPenn (until 1971). Perkins is responsible for hiring Louis Kahn, Lewis Mumford, Robert Venturi and establishing the ICA.
1950
Independence National Park is established by the National Park Service
Independence National Park is established by the National Park Service to restore Independence Hall, affiliated historic buildings and the mall to the north
1950
1950
147th Annual Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 147th Annual Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, January 21-February 24 includes David Smith.
1950
1950
Broad Street Station is Closed
Broad Street Station is closed to make way for Penn Center. The Philadelphia Orchestra plays as the last train departs. The model for Penn Center was Rockefeller Center in New York. Gregory L. Heller, Ed Bacon, Planning, Politics, and the Building of Modern Philadelphia, Philadelphia; The University of Pennsylvania Press, 2013, p99
1950
George Nakashima Receives the Gold Craftsmanship Medal
June 1952 George Nakashima receives the Gold Craftsmanship Medal from the American Institute of Architects, 84th Annual Convention, New York. Exhibition of AIA Craftsmanship Award Winner, one person show at Knoll Associates, New York
1950
Bandstand Premiers Locally on WFIL-TV
September 1952 Bandstand premiers locally on WFIL-TV Channel 6 (now WPVI-TV) hosted by Bob Horn. Dizzy Gillespie is on the first show along with a film of Peggy Lee singing Mañana. Horn’s Bandstand becomes a daily show on October 6 modeled on local dance show on the radio from Joe Grady and Ed Hurst’s 950 Club. Bandstand was on the air from 3:30 to 4:45 as students come home from school.
1950
Hendler Galleries Inaugural Show
Oct – November 1952 Inaugural Show.
Raymond Hendler, Director of the Hendler Galleries,
1429 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA.
First show includes Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Milton Resnick, Bob Richenburg, Shirley Jaffe, Sanford Greenberg, Robert Keyser (Americans), Sam Francis (American in Paris), Jean-Paul Riopelle (French Canadian).
The Hendler Gallery is the first & only ‘avant-garde’ gallery in Philadelphia. Exhibited: Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, Philip Guston, Jack Tworkov, George McNeil, Shirley Jaffe, Yvonne Thomas, Sam Feinstein, Sanford Greenberg, Robert Keyser, Albert Newbill, Melville Price, Milton Resnick and Hugh Kappel.
First to introduce to America: Paul-Émile Borduas, Sam Francis and Jean Paul Riopelle. First one-man show for: Stephen Pace, Robert Richenburg and Joseph Stefanelli.
1950
Sculpture of the Twentieth Century: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Margaret Miller, Sculpture of the Twentieth Century: Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fairmont Park Association October 11, - December 7, 1952, traveled to the Art Institute of Chicago, January 22-March 8, 1953, the Museum of Modern Art, April 29-September 7, 1953 includes David Smith, Archipenko, Brancusi
1950
Joseph Clark Endorsed
November 6- Joseph Clark endorsed by several labor unions, Americans for Democratic Action, and the Philadelphia Inquirer defeats Republican Daniel A. Poling by a margin of 124,700 votes. Clark became the first Democrat Mayor of Philadelphia since 1884. John M. Mclarnon and G. Terry Madonna, "Dilworth, Clark, and Reform in Philadelphia, 1947-1962,"Pennsylvania Legacies . Vol. 11, No. 2 (November 2011), pp. 24-31
1950
1950
1950
Little Gallery
Janet Fleisher, with former college classmate artist Eunice Robinson Leopold, opens the Little Gallery on South Manning Street. Leopold’s husband Irving, was head of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
1950
Philadelphia Gallery
Mitchel Wagman, sculptor and painter, opens the Philadelphia Gallery at 1911 Walnut Street. Laurie Wagman was his wife; daughter Andrea Wagman-Christian later opens the Philadelphia Gallery in San Diego.
Contribute to the Chronology
We welcome public contributions to this chronology! Please email Sid Sachs at ssachs@uarts.edu with a reference to your contribution.