David Berman, a filmmaker, gallerist, and philanthropist, died Monday, September 16, 2024, in Austin.
David Berman, 2014
Mr. Berman was born in Brooklyn on May 13, 1946. In 1964, he and his family moved to Houston, where he spent his senior year at Lamar High School. He earned a degree in Radio, TV, and Film from the University of Texas in Austin. During his time at UT, he ran Cinema 40, an on-campus film society. Also at UT, Mr. Berman met his life partner, Ellen Trew. The couple married in 1968 and, following graduation, moved to New York for a year before returning to Austin.
Ellen and David Berman, circa 1968
Ultimately, the pair moved to Houston, when Mr. Berman took a position at an NBC affiliate there. After five years in that job, he opened Berman Films, a commercial film production company. Through this business, he directed independent feature films, documentaries, corporate and public service projects for arts and nonprofit organizations, as well as commercials for regional and national brands. One of his best-known films is The Strange Demise of Jim Crow, a documentary that features interviews with Civil Rights activists involved in the integration of Houston.
David Berman Films Inc. film shoot
In 1997, the Bermans moved to Wimberley, and in 2000 Mr. Berman opened dberman Gallery in Austin. In a 2004 Austin Chronicle article, Mr. Berman remarked, “I felt that Austin didn’t have a lot of good quality galleries, at least the kind of galleries I was used to growing up in New York and living in Houston.”
dberman Gallery
The gallery opened in the former space of Galería Sin Fronteras, a Chicano-focused space founded by Gilberto Cárdenas, at 1701 Guadalupe Street. During the 10 years that the gallery was open, it showcased contemporary regional painting, sculpture, and photography. Some of the artists who exhibited at dberman include Ellen Berman, Malcolm Bucknall, Faith Gay, George Krause, Catherine Lee, Lauren Levy, and Beverly Penn.
Bale Creek Allen, an artist and gallerist who lived in the Austin area for many years, remembered Mr. Berman fondly. He told Glasstire, “David Berman was a great supporter of contemporary art in Texas. I was a young artist living in Austin in the early 1990s and had Gallery 68 and a studio at Flatbed World Headquarters. When I moved to Wimberley for a brief time, I approached David about doing a solo show of my own work. He didn’t hesitate and was so gracious and accommodating! dBerman was the best Gallery in Austin for quite a while. David was a well respected, honest, hard-working art dealer and collector, and he was also a sweet man and a good friend to so many.”
Ellen and David Berman, circa 2018
Beyond his legacy in the film industry and art world, Mr. Berman was also a champion of human rights, environmental causes, and medical research into neurological diseases.
6 comments
I am saddened to hear of David’s passing, my condolences to Ellen . Many of us in Austin had the pleasure of showing with the gallery, and gathering at their beautiful home in Wimberly for July 4th and other events….. David and Ellen gave a generation of serious artists an opportunity to exhibit in a beautiful space, bringing needed attention to our once “small “ Austin art community. He was a lovely kind man .
I agree with Susan’s comments. Well said Susan. I love both of the photographs of Ellen and David.
Nice coverage of a very serious and productive supporter of the arts. David directed a magnificent gallery and remained an excellent tenant. Very happy to connect with David over the years in his participation with the Blanton Museum events. May he rest in peace. Gilberto
I am also very saddened to hear the news about David’s passing. He was very gracious when he invited me to show in his new gallery in Austin decades ago. He was a very kind individual and a very professional gallerist. My sincere condolences to Ellen. She and David made a beautiful couple.
I am deeply saddened by this news. David was wonderfully supportive of my work and my evolution as an artist, as he was for many others in the area. My deepest condolences to Ellen.
He was near legendary in this art community. He did give a wonderful sensibility to this world of visual art in Austin and environs.