Louis Bonsib: Fort Wayne Impressionist

Drawn from private and public collections, including the permanent collection of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, this exhibition features paintings, drawings, and sketches by Louis W. Bonsib (1892 - 1979). Louis Bonsib: Fort Wayne Impressionist celebrates a man recognized as a pioneer in the Fort Wayne advertising field and a leader in the art world.

Born in Vincennes, Indiana in 1892, Bonsib grew up in Indianapolis. He received a BA degree from Indiana University in 1916 and later in life was awarded an honorary doctorate from Vincennes University. In 1948-49 Bonsib served as president of the Fort Wayne Art School. In 1962, while Chairman of the Board of Bonsib, Centlivre, Knight, & Ferguson, he received the inaugural Fort Wayne Advertising Federation Silver Medal Award for his outstanding contribution to advertising and furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern.

A prolific painter, Bonsib’s works include impressionism and realism, and often depict landscapes from Brown County, Indiana, as well as scenes of Ogunquit, Maine. He exhibited throughout Indiana, including 40 years at the Hoosier Salon. During his illustrious career, Bonsib received many awards including a number of prizes from both the Indiana Artists Association and the Hoosier Salon, as well as the Levi Strauss and Co. prize in landscape painting. In addition, 38 of his paintings depicting Indiana scenes were featured in a recurring column in the Indianapolis Times.

Louis Bonsib has works in many collections including the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, the Indiana University Art Museum, the Art Museum of Vincennes University, the Hoosier Salon, and numerous private collections throughout the state.