By Larry Clinton, Sausalito Historical Society
The Historical Society is once again open to the public and is presenting a new exhibit on the third floor of City Hall, showcasing the art and life of Serge Trubach.
The poster for the exhibit describes this latter-day Renaissance man as a painter, graphic artist, writer, teacher, lecturer, and activist. His contributions to Sausalito’s cultural and political life began in the 1950s and continued until his death in June 1979.
According to his obituary in this paper, “When Serge Trubach came to Sausalito in 1952, he brought with him a string of credentials attesting to his artistic ability.” In a Marin Scope interview in December 1972, Trubach said “I create, paint, draw, and sculpt to clarify; I practice and experiment with ideas. It was that inspiration I discovered when I was eight years old that has kept me growing so I belong with today.”
Trubach began his artistic career drawing on the sidewalks of New York at age eight. By the time he was ten he was featured in Pathe News. At fourteen, he was the youngest scholarship winner to attend the National Academy of Art. At sixteen, Trubach moved to Greenwich Village and supported himself by drawing caricatures of actors for theatre reviews of several New York newspapers. (Long time readers of Marin Scope will recall that he completed a series of caricatures of Sausalitans in 1975.)
In New York during the depression, the Ukrainian-born artist studied at the National Academy and later was employed by the Works Progress Administration. In 1936, he joined a sit-down strike with some four hundred artists and models against the impending dismissal of five hundred workers from the WPA. Police broke up that demonstration with billy clubs and rubber truncheons, leading to several cops being brought up on charges of assault and brutality. That incident is described in excruciating detail in a biography of Lee Krasner, artist and wife of Jackson Pollack, which is available through the Marin library system. Trubach’s harrowing recollections of the assault are quoted in the book, and the experience helped shape his lifelong pursuit of social justice. A photocopy of the relevant passage is part of the current exhibit.
In Sausalito, Trubach taught at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, and was active in the local art community as a juror for the Sausalito Art Festival. He wrote art critiques for Art Institute and designed and cut stained glass. He served on the jury of the California State Fair for Art Exhibits and was called upon to restore paintings of Klee, Graves and Picasso plus a Jean Varda painting for the Historical Society. Near the end of his life, he could be found near Fisherman’s Wharf doing sidewalk portraits.
Trubach also found time to run for the Sausalito City Council 11 times, never winning a seat. Perhaps lack of preparation played a role in his unsuccessful campaigns. In 1974 this paper reported: “City Council candidate. Serge Trubach was disqualified for official inclusion on the November ballot, it was learned last week, because some of the names on his filing application had not been entered correctly. Twenty names are required on the document. Trubach submitted 22, but some of them failed to include ‘Sausalito’ in their address. Trubach filed his application two or three days after the filing period began. He was informed of the irregularities last Tuesday and given until 9 a.m. the next day to correct them, a deadline he apparently found impossible to meet. He plans now to conduct a write-in campaign, with the permission of the County Elections Office, which will provide adequate space on the ballot for voters to vote for Trubach if they wish. He will also appeal to the Woman’s Club and the Sausalito Citizens Council to be allowed to participate in the Candidates' Nights which they traditionally hold prior to local elections.” That might have been his main motivation all along.
The free exhibit is open to the public on Mondays from 10-5 p.m. and Wednesday, 10-1.