Gerard Francis Tempest

Who was Gerard Francis Tempest?

Gerard Francis Tempest was a painter, sculptor, architect and veteran of World War II. Tempest was the father of Abstract Spiritualism and the protégé of Giorgio de Chirico, the forerunner of Surrealism.

Born in San Donato Val di Comino, Italy in 1918, Tempest immigrated to the United States in 1929. He studied art as a youth at the Boston Museum School, founding his own sign-painting company at the age of 19.

Drafted in 1943 as a Private in the United States Army, Tempest eventually rose to an officer rank serving under Omar Bradley in the 82nd Airborne Division. Tempest fought in campaigns all over Europe, including Normandy on D-Day, the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, and with the French Underground in the Liberation of Paris. One of the main characters in the film Is Paris Burning? is said to have been based on him. Tempest received the Bronze Star Medal in 1944 and designed the 101st Airborne Division's insignia, the "Screaming Eagle".

Returning to the Boston Museum School in 1945, Tempest studied under abstract expressionists Max Beckmann and Oscar Kokoschka. He later studied under Giorgio de Chirico as his protégé in Rome.