The 42nd Faber Birren National Color Show
The Stamford Art Association has presented the Faber Birren Color Award Exhibit at its Townhouse Gallery, 39 Franklin Street, Stamford, CT since 1980. The exhibit honors Faber Birren, world-renowned color theorist and former Stamford, CT resident. He wrote extensively on color and published 40 books and over 250 articles on the subject. The Navy and the Walt Disney Company used his color theory work. This competition is the only artistic event devoted exclusively to the use of color. The jurors for this exhibit are usually chosen from major NYC museums and organizations such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA, and Sotheby's.
Faber Birren, one of the most prominent scholars in the field of the theory of color, spent most of his career studying the influence of color on art, the workplace, and human psychology. His work, which was donated to Yale University’s Art and Architecture Library, is now referred to as Birren color theory.
In 1934 he established his own company and worked as an industrial color consultant, advising clients on the psychological effects of color on safety, employee morale, productivity, and sales. His recommendations included changing wall and interior colors to reduce visual fatigue and using bright colors on machinery to reduce accidents. DuPont, Monsanto, and General Electric were among his clients as well as the military.
The Faber Birren Color Award Exhibit pulls in artists internationally and is held for 6 weeks annually. 40 artists are selected by the juror and their work is displayed at the Townhouse Gallery and online. Cash awards are funded by his family, family, and friends to honor Diane Etienne Faxon, who helped create the exhibit.
