Birdwatching: Charley Harper

September 19 – December 13, 2025

The Zillman Art Museum is pleased to present its extensive collection of Charley Harper screenprints. Bird Watching boasts over thirty works that span Harper’s career as a major contributor to the Ford Times, a publication similar to Reader’s Digest which was popular in the 1950s and 1960s. The screenprints were used for magazine covers as well as articles. Harper referred to his style as “minimal realism” – he would distill his images of birds, animals, and nature to the essence of shape and color. Harper rendered his wildlife subjects in a stylized manner that exhibits varied line quality and color to infuse the serigraphs with whimsy and spirit. 

While this collection primarily consists of birds, notice the addition of other creatures that complete the compositions. Harper’s bold use of color and crisp-lined shapes fit squarely into the mid-century modern aesthetic. In Flamingo, the bird’s neck is created by overlapping circles that form a figure eight while a circle and a triangle create the body. Conversely, Wood Thrush portrays two birds and numerous leaves rendered with more conventional detail. 

In addition to printmaking, the Ohio-based Harper was a painter and illustrator that attained success in both commercial and fine art. 

  • Baltimore Oriole, 1959. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.3.G.NA
  • Black-Billed Magpie, 1956. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.51.G.NA
  • Brown Creeper, 1954. Screenprint. Museum purchase, 61.88.G.NA
  • California Condor, 1957. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.24.G.NA
  • Carolina Parakeet, 1957. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.4.G.NA
  • Eastern Kingbird, 1960. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.12.G.NA
  • Eastern Meadowlark, 1959. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 62.64.G.NA
  • Eskimo Curlew, 1957. Screenprint. Gift of the artist
  • Everglade Kite, 1957. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.6.G.NA
  • Flamingo, 1958. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.7.G.NA
  • Great Auk, 1957. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.8.G.NA
  • Heath Hen, 1957. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.9.G.NA
  • Horned Grebe, 1959. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.26.G.NA
  • Indigo Bunting, 1959. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.11.G.NA
  • Labrador Duck, 1957. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.50.G.NA
  • Mountain Bluebird, 1956. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.31.G.NA
  • Murres, 1960. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.14.G.NA
  • Passenger Pigeon, 1957. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.32.G.NA
  • Ptarmigan, 1960. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.33.G.NA
  • Red-Eyed Vireo, 1959. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.55.G.NA
  • Red-Winged Blackbirds, 1960. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.17.G.NA
  • Robin (Bathing), 1955. Screenprint. Museum purchase, 61.89.G.NA
  • Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, 1959. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.18.G.NA
  • Roseate Spoonbills, 1958. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.20.G.NA
  • Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, 1955. Screenprint. Gift of the artist
  • Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher, 1956. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.56.G.NA
  • Snowy Egret, 1958. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.5.G.NA
  • Snowy Owl, 1960. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.37.G.NA
  • Spotted Towhee, 1956. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.59.G.NA
  • Starlings, 1960. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.58.G.NA
  • Western Tanager, 1956. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.39.G.NA
  • Whip-Poor-Will, 1955. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.61.G.NA
  • Wood Ibis, 1958. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 69.42.G.NA
  • Wood Thrush, 1960. Screenprint. Gift of the artist, 62.66.G.NA