Bruce Geoffrey Cohen Scholarship

Bruce Geoffrey Cohen in his studio.

Bruce Geoffrey Cohen (1964-2017) was an American painter and sculptor who graduated from UC Berkeley in 1987 with a Bachelor of Art degree in Art Practice. With colorful compositions and bold angular forms, the artist’s work encourages viewers to perceive urban landscapes and various scenes from different perspectives. Cohen depicts urban landscapes using techniques found in works by Cubist artists, distorting perspective and blending foreground with background. Using line, shape, and contrasting colors, he removes any focal point from his paintings, creating a holistic visual experience. In his last work, Cohen has embarked on creating three-dimensional, dioramic-like paintings composed of several panels of Plexiglas. Born in San Francisco, CA, Bruce lived and worked in Berlin, Germany.

Mentorship was an important part of Bruce's practice. Therefore, the family of Bruce Cohen launched a scholarship for undergraduate art students at UC Berkeley. The endowment will generate annual funds to support the tuition of a declared Art Practice major. The fund is open. Anyone wishing to commemorate Bruce Cohen or to support an undergraduate student can make a donation to add to the endowment, and therefore to the annual scholarship amount. With this fund, the family of Bruce Cohen wishes for Bruce’s dedication to art and to mentorship to continue in perpetuity. 

The Worth Ryder Art Gallery at UC Berkeley is proud to present a retrospective of the work of Bruce Cohen (BA 1987) on the occasion of the launch of the Bruce Geoffrey Cohen Memorial Fund in Art Practice. See Events for details. The exhibit is curated by Fred DeWitt (MFA 2021).