Erni Cabat
Erni Cabat | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ernest Cabat July 7, 1914 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Died | November 9, 1994 (aged 80) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Education | Art Students League, Cooper Union Institute |
| Known for | Ceramics Industrial Design Graphic Design Painting Advertising |
| Movement | Modernism Figurative Expressionism |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Ernest "Erni" Cabat (July 7, 1914 – November 9, 1994)[1] was an American artist who had a list of diverse skills including ceramics, design, and painting.[2] He was often recognized by his flamboyant personality and handlebar mustache.[3]
Biography
Cabat studied art formally in New York at the Art Students League and Cooper Union[4], before starting a decades-long career in advertising, ceramics and painting. He worked in Manhattan for a number of significant advertising firms and industrial design studios. By age 20 he had done work for Columbia Broadcasting System, General Foods Inc., and Modern Packaging Magazine.[2]
In 1942, was when Cabat made his move to Tuscon to work for an airplane manufacture known as Consolidated Vultee where he met Norval Gill.[5]
Alongside Gill, he started Tuscon's first advertising agency known as Cabat-Gill Advertising in 1945 as the co-founder and creative direction.[4][5] The firm's work created and influenced the regional and charming mid-century brand of Arizona and the southwest. The firm developed and managed travel and marketing campaigns throughout Arizona and New Mexico. In addition to his professional design work, Cabat was a sculptor, ceramicist and painter who won numerous awards and whose work is housed in various museums and private collections throughout the United States.[2]
In the later years of his career, Cabat had illustrated and wrote seven children's books on flowers of the southwest.[4] Through his advertising firm he influenced the graphic aspects of southwestern advertising including TV, radio, newspaper, magazines and marketing ephemera. His ceramic works were characteristic of the post WW-II modern era utilizing shapes colors and forms that have become synonymous with the mid-century modern movement. Towards the end of his career Cabat wrote and illustrated numerous publications and books on southwestern themes.
Marriage
Cabat was married to Rose Cabat, a significant and influential mid-century ceramic artist.
Death
Ernest Cabat died at age 80 on November 9, 1994, in Tucson, Arizona.[6]
He was survived by his wife, their three children, and extended family.[7]
References
- ^ "Death Records - Free Genealogy Database". Archived from the original on 2017-10-15. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
- ^ a b c "Erni Cabat". USA-Painter.org. 2024-12-23. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ "A life's refined shape". Los Angeles Times. 2004-07-18. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
- ^ a b c "OTHER 20th CENTURY BOTANICAL ARTISTS OF THE SONORAN DESERT -- ERNEST "ERNI" CABAT (1914 - 1994) --". Botanical Art of the Sonoran Desert.
- ^ a b "Desert Ad Men: Erni Cabat and Norval Gill - Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation". Retrieved 2025-08-20.
- ^ "Artist 'Erni' Cabat dies in his sleep". Tucson Citizen. November 11, 1994.
- ^ "Rose Cabat's Obituary on Arizona Daily Star". Legacy.com.