Edward Loper, Jr. (1934-2023)

Artist Edward Loper, Jr, whose vibrant colors and dynamic style captured the essence of community, passed away at 83. He was self-taught, describing his technique as “a way to see.”. A long-time resident of Wilmington, DE, Loper worked as a designer for Tupp Signs. Additionally, he taught art, photography, and woodworking at Wilmington High School and instructed art, pottery, and sculpture at the West End Neighborhood House and Kingwood Center. In the 1970s, he headed the Visual Arts Department at Christina Cultural Arts Center in Wilmington, DE. Loper painted genre scenes, portraits, and landscapes with his personal style of vivid Post-Impressionist brushwork. In 2019, the Delaware Art Museum held an exhibition of his father’s and his work called The Loper Tradition.

Since the early 1960s, Loper's works have been showcased not only in the prestigious Barnes Foundation but also in numerous national exhibitions, including the Annual Delaware Show, Delaware Art Museum (1964, 1971, 1973); National Exhibition of Black Artists, Smith-Mason Gallery of Art, Washington D.C (1971); Afro-American Images, National Guard Armory, Wilmington, DE, (1971); and Keepers of the Color, Odessa Historical Society, DE (2019).

In 2022, the artist’s son, Jamie Loper, and co-curator Shameka Jones, presented an exhibition of his father’s work, The Journey of Perspective, at the Arts Center/Gallery at Delaware State University from October 3-November 18, 2022.

REF: https://www.edwardloperjr.com