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Elga Ruth Wasserman
Elga Ruth Wasserman, 2023. Oil on panel, 48 x 36 in.
This painting honoring feminist icon Elga Ruth Wasserman was commissioned by Yale University and is permanently installed in Yale’s Bass Library, New Haven, CT.
ARTICLES
Yale Unveils Portrait of “Our Very Own Mother Bear, By Kevin Denneh
The new portrait, Salovey said, will serve as a reminder of Wasserman’s “indelible imprint” on Yale — and also as a challenge to continue her unfinished work.
Elga Wasserman's Life and Times
Alums of a certain age will remember the booklet she is holding—Sex and the Yale Student—which was distributed to Yale undergrads for more than 25 years, beginning in 1970. “I wanted to have enough curious things in the painting that people would want to know who she was,” says Zlamany.
Bass Library Installs Portrait of Champion for the First Women Students of Yale College
The artist painted Wasserman seated at a table, with assorted books by and about women spread in front of her—a tribute to her work for women’s equity in access to education.
SKETCHES
Video
Elga Wasserman Portrait Unveiling
The portrait of Dr. Elga R. Wasserman honors her legacy, particularly her work in introducing coeducation to Yale College. Dr. Wasserman’s portrait was painted by Brenda Zlamany. The speakers for the event are Peter Salovey ’86 PhD, Sam Chauncey ’57, Diana Wasserman ’77 MD, Vera Wells ’71, Brenda Zlamany, and Eve Hart Rice ’73.