Carder Hazard Durfee of Tiverton, RI, formerly of New York City died Friday October 17th at Rhode Island Hospital of complications resulting from injuries sustained in an automobile accident on August 12th.
Born in Fall River, MA on October 19, 1915 he was the son of the late Charles H. and Amy (Ward) Durfee.
A graduate of Choate and the Yale School of Fine Arts from which he was awarded the Winchester Traveling Fellowship in 1940. He served in the US Army from 1941 to 1945 with the US Army Camouflage Engineers in Africa, Austria, Corsica, France and Germany.
After World War II, he resided in New York City for many years where his work was highlighted in solo and group exhibitions at galleries and museums including Grand Central Modern, the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He travelled extensively through Europe and Morocco and continued to exhibit with shows at the Denver Art Museum, Chicago Art Institute, Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Corcoran Art Gallery, Rhode Island School of Design and the former Art Association of Newport where he first exhibited in 1932. He continued to be the recipient of many awards including the Audobon Artist, Jane Peterson and the Childe Hassam awards among them. In 1958, he created artwork for the CBS television animated feature "Hook the Hawk." He was also featured twice during this period in Life Magazine.
In 1965 he returned to Tiverton, RI to care for "Homelands" his family's historic estate where he was well known for his horticultural expertise. From 1965 to 1977, he travelled and painted but did not regularly exhibit his work. In 1978 he resumed his exhibition career with solo and group shows including the first of many at the Virginia Lynch Gallery, Tiverton, RI, Francesca Anderson Gallery, Boston, the Providence Art Club, Bartholet Gallery and Treillage, both in New York.
In 2000 to 2001 he was honored with a major retrospective at the Newport Art Museum, "Hazard Durfee: Journeys in Art" which highlighted over fifty years of his art.His work is found in museum and numerous private collections as well as corporate collections including IBM, American Express, Raytheon and New York Presbyterian Hospital/ New York Medical Center.
He is survived by Charles F. Hickey of Tiverton, RI and New York; his sister, Constance St. John of Providence, RI; 3 nieces, Julia Ballerini of New York, Anne Aldrich of Florida and Jane Aldrich of Montana; 5 great nieces and nephews and 4 great-great nieces and nephews.
He was the brother of the late Amy D. Aldrich.
His Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, December 14th, 2003 at 11 AM in the Newport Art Museum, 76 Bellevue Ave., Newport, RI.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Exhibitions Fund, Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI 02840.
Burial is private.