C. Arthur Burchfield, the son of painter Charles E. Burchfield, died Thursday in his Poughkeepsie home, exactly 46 years to the day after his father died. He was 83.
Born in Buffalo, Mr. Burchfield was among five children – and the only son – of the visionary artist, who was best known for his watercolor landscapes.
Mr. Burchfield grew up in the West Seneca hamlet of Gardenville, where he graduated from a kindergarten-through-12th-grade school that no longer exists in the town. During World War II, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and served in missions in Okinawa, Japan.
In the early 1950s, Mr. Burchfield began working for IBM, headquartered in Poughkeepsie, and eventually was appointed to head the company’s World Trade Corp. He retired in 1987.
After his father’s death in 1967, Mr. Burchfield took an active role as president of the Charles Burchfield Foundation, overseeing the sale of his father’s paintings, the proceeds from which went to charity.
He also was a supporter of the Burchfield Penney Art Center on the Buffalo State College campus. Through his support, the foundation was awarded gifts of Charles E. Burchfield’s journals, an archive of more than 25,000 objects, many exhibitions and the capital campaign for the new museum, which opened on Elmwood Avenue in 2008.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, the former Violet Anton; two sons, C. Arthur Jr. and James; and a daughter, Nancy.
A memorial service will be held in the spring at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, 1300 Elmwood Ave.