Search by Name

Search by Name

Gertrud Parker

1924 - 2021

Gertrud Parker obituary, 1924-2021, Tiburon, CA

Gertrud Parker Obituary

Gertrud Parker Gertrud Parker, artist, collector and founder of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, died peacefully at her home in Tiburon on January 10, 2021 at the age of 96. A native of Vienna, Austria, Gertrud was 13 in 1938 when she watched the Nazis march into the city from her bedroom window. She and her parents fled, catching the last train out of the country before the borders were closed, leaving behind their home, its furnishings and the family dog. Gertrud's maternal grandfather, Karl Pick, was an elected representative in the Austrian Parliament who founded a labor union for office workers. A street in Vienna is named for him. Her father was the Director of the Worker's Bank in Vienna until his arrest and political imprisonment during the fascist uprising of 1934. The family immigrated to France, then New York, before finally settling in San Francisco's Forest Hill neighborhood, because it resembled their district in Vienna. Gertrud and her husband, attorney and real estate investor Harold Parker, subsequently built a house in Tiburon, where she lived for almost 50 years. In San Francisco, Gertrud graduated from Washington High School at the age of 16, and received a Bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley at the age of 19. Given her limited English, she had always felt that the schools were more interested in moving war refugees quickly through the system rather than educating them. In 1982, Gertrud founded the San Francisco Craft and Folk Art Museum, which started out in a private house near Golden Gate Park before moving to Fort Mason Center. In 2000, the museum relocated to Yerba Buena Lane and changed its name to the Museum of Craft and Folk Art. It closed in 2012 after a 30-year run. Gertrud's own artwork is included in the permanent collections of the Oakland Museum and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. She was deeply involved in the Bay Area fiber arts movement and drew inspiration from the weaving and fiber arts of various cultures. In the catalogue for "Gertrud Parker: Artist and Collector" at the Sonoma County Museum, scholar Amy Winter writes: "In the 1970s, Parker's art followed the pattern of other women artists of her generation tentatively at first, taking a backseat to her role as a wife and mother, but engendered by that very constraint as she applied skills she had honed from her beginnings: sewing, designing, weaving and embroidery, which comfortably fit her domestic life. This period saw not only the social liberation of women by the feminist movement, but a revision of modernist theory and practice that defied the patronizing categories of "high" and "low" art that marginalized any medium outside of painting and sculpture." In his notes for Gertrud's Sonoma County Museum show, Peter Selz, former curator of painting and sculpture at MOMA in New York and founding director of the Berkeley Art Museum, writes: "Inspired by the traditional Alaskan material, Parker began working with gutskin in the late 1980s. Gutskin is a material that appears to be fragile, but it is actually highly resistant - gutsy. Parker's inclination toward unusual materials brought her to make a sculpture of dyed skin and colored feathers from a male duck. The piece is an enigmatic, surreal work, called "Blue Markings." It was one of three American entries in the Toyamura International Sculpture Biennale of 1999." Gertrud's choice to make art from gutskin (cow intestines) says a lot about her. She was unconventional, and had a sense of humor. Even into her 80s, Gertrud would strap on her welding helmet to construct steel armatures to which she attached strips of dyed gut. Her medium eventually shifted to encaustic painting. Gertrud continued to hike up the hill to her studio to make art until the very end. She was an artistic inspiration to many, as well as a source of sage advice. Gertrud was predeceased by her husband of 57 years, Harold Parker. She is survived by her daughter, Diana Rogers (James); her sons, David Parker (Christiane) and Jonathan Parker (Deborah); her stepson, Rod Parker; her grandchildren, Andy Green (Emily Gee), Gabrielle Feuersinger (Hans), Sebastian Parker (Celine), Jacob Rogers (Hannah Cummons), Sam Parker (Madeline Hollander), and Olivia Parker (Jameel Merali); and six great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held via Zoom on Sunday, January 31, 2021. For more information, please email: [email protected].

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Marin Independent Journal from Jan. 20 to Jan. 24, 2021.

Memories and Condolences
for Gertrud Parker

Sponsored by MarinIJ.com.

Not sure what to say?





1 Entry

Group of 10 Memorial Trees

Lee McGrath

Planted Trees

Showing 1 - 1 of 1 results

Make a Donation
in Gertrud Parker's name

Memorial Events
for Gertrud Parker

Jan

31

Memorial service

Zoom

CA

How to support Gertrud's loved ones
Honor a beloved veteran with a special tribute of ‘Taps’ at the National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The nightly ceremony in Washington, D.C. will be dedicated in honor of your loved one on the day of your choosing.

Read more
Attending a Funeral: What to Know

You have funeral questions, we have answers.

Read more
Should I Send Sympathy Flowers?

What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?

Read more
What Should I Write in a Sympathy Card?

We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.

Read more
Resources to help you cope with loss
How to Cope With Grief

Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you.

Read more
Estate Settlement Guide

If you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.

Read more
How to Write an Obituary

Need help writing an obituary? Here's a step-by-step guide...

Read more
Obituaries, grief & privacy: Legacy’s news editor on NPR podcast

Legacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.

Read more
Ways to honor Gertrud Parker's life and legacy
Obituary Examples

You may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.

Read more
How to Write an Obituary

Need help writing an obituary? Here's a step-by-step guide...

Read more
Obituary Templates – Customizable Examples and Samples

These free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.

Read more
How Do I Write a Eulogy?

Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.

Read more