The Lagoons of Memory - Bud Wehrheim

Roland "Bud" Wehrheim (1910-2001) was an American painter who divided his life between the United States, Paris, Greece, and Ardèche. Trained in Baltimore and then in Munich, he continued his career in Paris, where he attended the studios of Léopold Survage, Fernand Léger, and André Lhote. From the 1960s onwards, his work was profoundly influenced by Greece, particularly the island of Skyros, where he regularly stayed. This period gave rise to several major cycles inspired by mythology, memory, and Mediterranean antiquity. The work presented belongs to the emblematic cycle of the "Lagunes de la Mémoire, " developed from the late 1960s to the 1980s. This series is considered one of the artist's most personal periods. It explores a poetic universe composed of mineral forms, sculptural fragments inherited from Greek antiquity, and monumental female figures evoking Nike, Aphrodite, or Ariadne. This painting thus serves as a significant testament to Bud Wehrheim's Greek period, which is now recognised as one of the most important of his career. He has exhibited several times in France, the United States, and Tunisia. Currently, an exhibition is underway in France concerning him.