George Vander Sluis Explained

George Vander Sluis (1915–1984) was an American artist known for his murals and postage stamp designs.

Personal life

Sluis was born December 18, 1915, in Cleveland, Ohio.^[1] He was married and had three children with his wife, Hildegarde Bristol Vander Sluis, who survived to 2009.^[2]

Work

Serving in the United States Army in World War II, Vander Sluis was one of the 1,100 members of the Ghost Army, a secret tactical deception unit that was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2022. After the war he was a member of the art faculty at Syracuse University for 35 years.^[3] Just before his death, Vander Sluis painted a mural on the front of the Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse.^[4] He painted a New Deal program mural in the U.S. Post Office at Rifle, Colorado, in 1942, which is described in the listing of the building in the National Register of Historic Places.^{[5] [6]} He also designed stamps for the United States Postal Service.^[7]

The Akron Art Museum holds a Sluis work titled Decayed Glory.^[8]

Notes and References

1. "Information Concerning the Mural above the Postmaster's Door, U.S. Post Office, Rifle, Colorado". Retrieved July 30, 2018
2. Web site: Hildegarde Bristol Vander Sluis obituary.
3. Web site: George Vander Sluis . Ghost Army Legacy Project . August 12, 2022.
4. Book: Phillips . Richard L. . Wright . Donald G. . Hendricks Chapel: Seventy-five Years of Service to Syracuse University . 5 July 2005 . . Syracuse, N.Y. . 267 . 978-0-8156-0827-1 . 58729694 . en.
5. Web site: Homage to the Barn.
6. Web site: George Vander Sluis . David Cook Galleries.
7. Web site: Sale 61: The Fall Sale, Lot 1423 E, Airmail, 1971, 9¢ & 11¢ Airmail Issue – Designer George Vander Sluis Portfolio . October 20–23, 2015 . Schuyler Rumsey Philatelic Auctions, Inc. . August 12, 2022.
8. Web site: title . July 30, 2018 . July 31, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180731031750/https://akronartmuseum.org/collection/Obj202?sid=1&x=92515312 . dead .