Biography
For Gebhardt, art was both private and generous. He never sold his work, preferring to give paintings as gifts to those he loved, selecting pieces with exacting intention, and sometimes bartering with friends—his handyman, massage therapist, and fellow artists. These gifts became integral parts of his family’s homes.
A Life of Many Forms
Arthur Gebhardt (1928–2022) painted with discipline, depth, and a devotion to the things that mattered most: faith, family, and art. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was a proud Midwesterner and considered himself a Midwest artist. His work shows the breadth of his skills and interests, excelling at portraiture, abstracts, landscapes, still-lifes, and even surrealist scenes at times.
To those who knew him best, Gebhardt was never only a painter. He was a father of seven, a husband of over fifty years, a businessman, a man of faith, a lover of travel, books, and music, and an intuitive observer of people and places.
Where Art and Family Met
His home was filled with canvases and alive with the sounds of children, stacks of sketchbooks, and the scent of oil paints in his home studio. For his children and grandchildren, Gebhardt’s paintings were a constant presence—hanging on the walls of their childhood bedrooms and family rooms.
Gebhardt attended Marquette University High School in Milwaukee and graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with an art degree. He was the first in his family to attend college and after college returned home to help run the family business, A. L. Gebhardt Company, a tannery, and married his childhood sweetheart Patricia Burns (Patty). For decades, he ran the business with his father Pete, uncle Jack Miller, and his brother Bob Gebhardt. During this time, he started his family with Patty and oversaw a joyful and busy household of seven children—Ellen, Georgia, Peter, Patricia, Sarah, Joseph, and Mary.
Life, Lived with Art
He retired in the 1980’s and was able to devote time to his passions—philanthropy, reading, travel, golf, advising friends and family on business pursuits, time with Patty and their family and grandchildren, and, of course, his art.
He worked across genres—still life, landscape, abstract expressionism, figuration, and narrative scenes.
Gebhardt was a life-long Catholic and had a deep interest in his faith. Many of his works show him examining religious themes and figures. Gebhardt revisited other themes across decades: dancers and circus performers, characterful portraits.
Technically, Gebhardt was meticulous. Family and friends remember how he grappled with composition—how he gessoed over canvases, began again, changed color stories midstream. He would often have multiple paintings going at once, moving between them according to his mood. He studied and found great inspiration in artists like Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, and Chagall, among many others.
Given, Not Kept
For Gebhardt, art was both private and generous. He never sold his work, preferring to give paintings as gifts to those he loved, selecting pieces with exacting intention, and sometimes bartering with friends—his handyman, massage therapist, and fellow artists. These gifts became integral parts of his family’s homes. Family members describe it was always a delight to walk into a family member’s home and see a piece by Gebhardt that no one had seen before.
His life and work were deeply entwined. His studio at times was the dining room, garage, or his beloved wall-to-wall windowed studio at his Club Circle home. He was a collector of art books and this collection was shared with his children. His work ethic and love for art was passed down through generations. A few of his grown children and grandchildren became artists in their own right and many count one of Gebhardt’s pieces as the start of their own art collections.
At the end of his life, he was not as mobile as he would have liked, but he still kept a studio and drew and painted almost every day. He never stopped creating. For example, one year he undertook the project to send a Christmas painting to each one of his great grandchildren. He laid out dozens of small paintings on the floor like a constellation, choosing one for each child with care.
Arthur Gebhardt’s legacy reflects a life full of curiosity and creativity.
This archive invites viewers and future generations to observe and enjoy this lifetime of creation and exploration through his work.
To those who knew him best, Gebhardt was never only a painter. He was a father of seven, a husband of over fifty years, a businessman, a man of faith, a lover of travel, books, and music, and an intuitive observer of people and places.
Discover the Artistic Journey
of Art Gebhardt
Abstracts
In bold geometries and saturated hues, Gebhardt often explored beyond the forms of traditional portraits and landscapes.
Portraits & Figures
Arthur Gebhardt’s portraits and figure studies demonstrate his fascination with people as living subjects caught in moments of humor, reflection, vulnerability, and presence.
Landscapes
Arthur Gebhardt frequently examined landscapes tracing his travels, interests, and imagined places.
Interiors & Still Life
Arthur’s interiors and still lives are where structure and color truly stand out.