The Picasso next door

Adam Rudolphi is uncovering lost details about art in the Honors College

By Pamela Gorsuch on October 4, 2023

Adam Rudolphi
Adam Rudolphi is uncovering new information about the Lieberman family, the works they collected and the artists who made them. (Alex Wright | Towson University)

Imagine Adam Rudolphi鈥檚 delight when he walked into an Honors College conference room for a job interview and came face to face with fine art, including works by Joan Mir贸 and Picasso. Rudolphi was applying to be the college鈥檚 coordinator for admissions and enrollment, but he has a doctorate in art history and experience as a researcher at the National Gallery of Art.

鈥淚t was a very serendipitous moment,鈥 Rudolphi says. 鈥淚 took it as a sign that I was in the right place.鈥

The Picasso is an abstract portrait done in linocut鈥攁 traditional printmaking technique the artist focused on intensely in the 1950s. About the size of a sheet of paper, it hangs unassumingly amidst a larger collection of paintings, sculptures, works on paper and mixed media objects securely displayed in the Honors College offices. There鈥檚 also a large lithograph by internationally acclaimed surrealist Mir贸 and eight works by pictorialist photographer A. Aubrey Bodine, including ones published in Harper鈥檚 Bazaar and The Saturday Evening Post. The works belong to the Lieberman collection and they display an astonishing variety, representing a diverse mix of local and international artists working in a range of media and art movements. All have a story to tell.

Femme au Chapeau by Picasso
鈥淔emme au Chapeau鈥 by Picasso. This linocut uses a printmaking technique wherein the artist carves into a linoleum block. Picasso immersed himself in the medium during the 1950s. (Alex Wright | Towson University)
Two Nuns by A. Aubrey Bodine
鈥淭wo Nuns鈥 by A. Aubrey Bodine. The Baltimore-based photographer stopped his car on Charles Street to take this photo. Bodine added to the falling snow by drawing on the negative. (Alex Wright | Towson University)
Le Centenaire de L鈥橧mprimerie Mourlot by Joan Mir贸
鈥淟e Centenaire de L鈥橧mprimerie Mourlot鈥 by Joan Mir贸. This lithograph by the internationally acclaimed surrealist artist was a favorite of Sidney Lieberman. Rudolphi learned it once hung in the Liebermans鈥 family dining room. (Alex Wright | Towson University)
Meaning of Life by Kwan-Mo Chung
鈥淢eaning of Life鈥 by Kwan-Mo Chung. The Liebermans invited Chung to exhibit his work at their gallery during the short period of time he lived in the U.S. (Alex Wright | Towson University)
Seated Dancer by Frayda Shalowitz
鈥淪eated Dancer鈥 by Frayda Shalowitz. This is the only bronze sculpture by the artist that鈥檚 not a public work done on commission. Rudolphi learned the artist鈥檚 father lived just a mile from the Liebermans鈥 home. (Alex Wright | Towson University)

That story starts with Sidney and Mignon Lieberman, who began donating what would eventually total 47 works to TU in 1983. Both were 1932 graduates of what was then Maryland State Normal School, and both shared a keen interest in the arts.

鈥淲hile Dr. Lieberman was a dentist by trade, he was also a talented jewelry maker and photographer, and Mrs. Lieberman graduated from the arts-focused Barnes School,鈥 Rudolphi says. 鈥淭hey were passionate about travel and collected art during trips at home and abroad,鈥 Rudolphi says. 鈥淭hat resulted in a tremendously rich collection.鈥  

But it was only through a series of difficult losses that the collection came to TU. The Liebermans lost their only children before either reached 30. As the couple approached their later years, they sought an enduring home where their collection could be protected and enjoyed by the public.

鈥淵ou can imagine there must have been this tremendous sense of loss inside them,鈥 Rudolphi says. 鈥淭hey turned that loss into an amazing act of love and generosity to the university.鈥

Now, Rudolphi is honoring that generosity by uncovering new information about the family, the works they collected and the artists who made them. During bits of time between advising students and planning admissions events, he scours books and newspaper articles, contacts art historians and even reaches out to artists themselves to discover lost details about the works. Already, he鈥檚 recovered a number of titles and production dates along with a host of interesting stories. But Rudolphi says he鈥檚 just getting started.

鈥淢y goal is to tell a story about every work,鈥 he says. 鈥淚鈥檒l keep going until I meet that goal.鈥

VISIT THE COLLECTION

The Lieberman Collection is available for private viewings by request. To make an appointment, contact the Honors College at 410-704-4677 or .