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A Senior Star
Edna Hibel Still Producing Great Art
at 87
July 7, 2004 - At 87, Edna Hibel still paints
regularly and maintains the quality of work that has made her one of
America’s most noted artists.
 She
has been referred to as America’s most beloved and versatile artist, and
best colorist. Hibel is most noted for depicting the beauties of nature
and the love in human relationships, especially between mothers and
children of many cultures.
Born in Massachusetts January 13,
1917, Edna first developed her talent under the direction of
noted portraitist Gregory Michaels. She then studied with the renowned
Russian and German masters, Alexandr Yakovlev and Karl Zerbe, at the
Boston Museum School of Fine Arts. Completing her training at the Museum
School in 1939, Hibel was awarded the Ruth B. Sturtevant Traveling
Fellowship, which led her to paint in Mexico.
In 1940, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts purchased
one of her paintings for its permanent collection, making Edna the
youngest artist at the time so honored by a major American museum. Hibel
later returned to the Boston Museum School for graduate study in the art
and techniques of the Renaissance, and to absorb the discipline of the
masters.
Hibel’s paintings, stone lithography, sculptures,
and porcelain artwork have been exhibited in prestigious museums,
galleries, universities, and palaces on four continents. Critics have
compared Hibel’s style to that of the Italian Renaissance artist
Leonardo da Vinci, and the American Impressionist Mary Cassatt.
She is the only foreign artist to twice exhibit her
work in China, Yugoslavia, and the former Soviet Union, where she was
the only foreign woman to produce a television documentary in that
country.
About Edna Hibel’s Philosophy
Values and ethics pervade Edna’s art. She believes
in a society in which all individuals can reach their full potential and
live lives of excellence, grace, and beauty in harmony with their fellow
citizens. Hibel’s art is the expression of her emotions, her spirit, and
her philosophy of life. Linda Baynes Johnson, daughter of President
Lyndon B. Johnson, referred to Edna Hibel as the “Heart and Conscience
of America.”
Through her art, Edna expresses “the positive
underlying vitality of life and love in our world,” say her fans.
Edna resides with her husband and paints in
Florida. She still travels to Zurich, Switzerland each year to create
her stone lithographs. She has three sons and seven grandchildren. You
can visit her website at
www.hibel.org.
Edna Hibel’s Major Achievements
 Leonardo
da Vinci World Award of Art for 2001 presented by the World Cultural
Council at Utrecht University. She is the only American woman to be
presented with this award.
Commissioned by the Foundation of the U.S. National
Archives in 1995 to commemorate 75 years of women receiving the
universal right to vote.
Commissioned to complete artwork for: The 200th
anniversary of the White House, Project HOPE, Epilepsy Foundation, and
Komen Foundation, and to produce a United Nations Postal Stamp and First
Day Cover.
Medal of Honor and Citation from Pope John Paul II
Is the only living American woman in the world to
have a non‑profit public museum dedicated to her art, the Hibel Museum
of Art in Jupiter, Florida.
Completed 600 editions of original stone
lithographs; more multi-color lithographs than any other artist in
history.
First Painter Elected to Fellowship, World Academy
of Art and Science
The Edna Hibel Society, currently with over 1,500
members, is the world’s oldest non‑profit artist fellowship. Founded in
1976.
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women in the
Visual Arts
Presented to Queen Elizabeth II
Elected to Fellowship, Royal Society of Art
Received Tributes in U.S. Congressional Record
Received Honorary Doctorates in Arts and Letters
from the University for Peace, Costa Rica; Mount Saint Mary’s College,
U.S.A.’s Oldest Seminary; Eureka College (President Reagan’s alma
mater); Providence College; and Northwood University
Medal of Honor from the late Belgian King Baudouin
Street named after her in Jupiter, Florida: “Edna
Hibel Way”
Founded Boston Art Festival
Received Humanitarian For Health Award, Project
HOPE
Received Flame of Humanity Award, Ben‑Gurion
University of the Negev, Israel
Received Diploma, Flanders Academy of Art, Science,
and Letters, Belgium
Received International Humanitarian Award, Boys’
Towns of Italy, Rome
Received International Artist Award, B’nai B’rith
International
Blue Ribbon Award for Art from Cordon Bleu Society
Hibel Works in Permanent Collections:
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Harvard University
Boston University
United Nations Headquarters, New York City
Russian Academy of Art, St. Petersburg, Russia
Hibel Museum of Art, Jupiter, Florida
Detroit Art Institute
Chicago Art Institute
University of New Hampshire
Milwaukee Art Museum
Phoenix Art Museum
Springfield Museum of Arts, Massachusetts
Fleischmann Collection, Cincinnati
La Jolla Museum, California
Lowe Gallery, University of Miami, Florida
Columbus Museum of Arts and Crafts, Georgia
Warren Hall Coutts III Memorial Museum of Art, El
Dorado, Kansas
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Norton Museum, West Palm Beach, Florida
de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, California
About the Hibel Museum of Art
The Hibel Museum of Art, the world’s only
non‑profit, public museum dedicated to the art of a living American
woman, first opened 27 years ago in Palm Beach, Florida. A magnificent
new museum was built in 2001 on the Florida Atlantic University campus
in Jupiter, Florida. The building was funded in partnership with the
state, with the First Lady of Florida, Columba Bush, appearing as the
speaker of honor at the dedication ceremony. The museum features the
art of Edna Hibel and hosts other popular exhibits.
The story of the Hibel Museum of Art dates back
to 1960, when Clayton and Ethelbelle Craig, well‑known patrons of the
arts, started their vast collection of Hibel works. They founded the
original Hibel Museum of Art in 1977 as a permanent repository for their
renowned collection. Donations have since increased the museum’s
collection to more than 2,000 artworks. Among the museum’s many
cultural programs are exhibitions, educational programs, lectures,
concerts, films, slide shows and other events. The Hibel Museum of Art
continues to grow and expand - a children's art camp is opening for the
first time in June.
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