What do a tv producer, social justice and a VT college have in common? A painting.

April Barton, Burlington Free Press
·2 min read
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Norman Lear is keeping it "All in the Family" donating a piece of artwork back to Bennington College after purchasing it from the school in 1986.

The famed television producer of the 1970s-era groundbreaking shows "Sanford and Son," "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times" calls Vermont his second home.

Lear purchased the Hans Hofmann abstract expressionist piece from 1962 titled  "The Breakers" from Bennington College. He intended to gift the painting back to the school upon his passing.

"The Breakers" is an abstract expressionist piece painted by Hans Hofmann in 1962. Television producer Norman Lear purchased the painting from Bennington College in 1986 and is giving it back to the school to sell again to establish a scholarship fund named for the Lears. The money would fund scholarships for talented students focused on social justice activism.

Lear is returning the painting ahead of schedule. He turns 100 on July 27 of this year.

The painting benefits the school's Art for Access program, providing scholarships for talented students through the regular sale of select artwork.

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The proceeds from selling "The Breakers" will establish The Norman & Lyn Lear Scholarship in Social Justice and Activism fund. "The scholarship will benefit talented students who wish to pursue a Bennington education in order to apply their talents to create a more just world," reads a news release from the college.

The painting will be on display in the newly reconstructed Barn building on campus starting next spring before being sold. One Hofmann piece, titled "Lava," sold for $8.8 million in 2017.

“My relationship with Bennington College stretches back more than four decades. I’ve long been a neighbor of Bennington and have fond memories of the College when our then-young children attended preschool on the campus,” Norman Lear was quoted in the news release. “My family and I have enjoyed the stunning Hofmann painting for many years and are honored to return it to the College so it can help provide access to a Bennington education for generations of future students who have the creativity, drive, and imagination to envision and build a better world.”

Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Norman Lear gives Hans Hofmann artwork to Bennington College