The Alden Mason Foundation for the Arts is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to to sustaining and celebrating Alden Mason’s extraordinary legacy as an artist and teacher.
About Alden
“My paintings are a private world of improvisation, spontaneity, humor, pathos, exaggeration and abandon.” -Alden Mason
“Alden Mason loved painting; he was singularly accomplished at its practice and taught several generations of students to seek it as a life’s work.” – Norman Lundin
“I am a bird watcher of sorts and a wanderer always looking for that magical perfect place. My mother always said, ‘There is no magical perfect place, no Shangri-La, and if there was, it could be anywhere you were at the moment if your head was screwed on properly.’ She probably was right, but sometimes the fun is in the search.” -Alden Mason
Alden Mason was a vibrant and masterful painter known for several virtuosic conceptual mannerisms and styles. Alden was known for his highly praised Burpee Garden Series and the inventive acrylic squeeze bottle paintings that were to become his signature method of working after health concerns prevented the continuation of the oil-based Burpee paintings. His work has been shown widely across the U.S. with successful and acclaimed shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Alden exhibited in numerous venues featuring Northwest artists and had over 30 solo shows in Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, BC. His work is included in many important museum and private collections and he was the recipient of several prestigious public commissions.
Born July 14, 1919, he studied and later taught at the University of Washington in Seattle. He died in 2013 at the age of 93.
The Alden Mason estate is represented by the Foster/White Gallery in Seattle, WA. Other galleries and sites offering his work for resale include:
Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas, Austin, TX Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID Charles B. Goddard Center for the Arts, Ardmore, OK Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Meany Hall, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner, WA Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA Oregon Art Institute, Portland, OR Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, CA Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR Renton City Art Collection, Renton, WA San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco, CA Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA Seattle Arts Commission, Seattle, WA Spokane City Art Collection, Spokane, WA Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene, OR Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia, WA Washington State University Art Museum, Pullman, WA Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA
SELECTED CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Alaska Airline Corporation, Seattle, WA Bank of America, Seattle, WA (defunct) Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA Nordstrom, San Francisco, CA Polyclinic, Seattle, WA Prudential Insurance Company of America, Los Angeles, CA Rainier Club, Seattle, WA Safeco Insurance Company, Seattle, WA (defunct) Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Sea-Tac, WA Security Pacific Bank, Seattle, WA (defunct) Steve Chase Associates, New York, NY (defunct)
SELECTED PUBLIC COMISSIONS
2005 6th Ave NW Pocket Park, Seattle, WA: Entry columns and sidewalk pavers created in collaboration with Stephen McClelland 1988 Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, WA: Lunar Promenade, 5’ x 18’ 1987 McGraw Hall Opera House, Seattle, WA : Four Murals 4’ x 13’ each (formerly Seattle City Light Promenade) 1982 Renton District Court, Renton, WA: Yellow Birds, 3’ x 11.5’ Portland Justice Center, Portland, OR: Portland Rose, 6’ x 9’ Sheraton Hotel, Seattle, WA: Big Chief Seattle, 5’ x 24’ 1981 Washington State Senate Chambers, Olympia, WA: Two Murals, 12’ x 44’
