About this project

Thomas S. Buechner's life includes an epic collection of stories. Born in 1926 to a cosmopolitan family headquartered in the greater New York area, Buechner found himself in a wide array of settings as a boy: eating dinner at his grandmother's elegant TIffany-decorated apartment down the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as a blond cherub posing with a giant boa in a postcard for a snake farm in Brazil, drawing Mickey Mouse for the other boys at boarding school and thus discovering his talent as a draftsman. The long list of places he has visited and people he has met comprises a fascinating tale of a man with a diligent and ambitious drive to delve into every opportunity with fearless determination.

He worked in the display department at the Met, was appointed as the first director of the Corning Museum of Glass, worked as the director of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, was president of Steuben Glass, etc. The Met and the Smithsonian have acquired some of his paintings, and he is currently represented by 8 galleries across the US. His website sums it up pretty well: TomBuechner.com Bio

Yes, you can find this version of his biography pretty easily in various publications. What you cannot find, however, is a single source with all of the details and stories that describe how all of these pieces fit together. How did he end up in Puerto Rico designing the logo for the independence movement? How did end up in Amsterdam following Rembrandt's footsteps, hand-carved reed for a pen and all? What was entailed in writing that semi-famous book (that graced many a coffee table) on Norman Rockwell? What keeps him painting after all of these years?
We have already recorded 4 hours of interviews with Buechner. This December, we plan on returning to New York to conduct a second round. In writing this biography, we want to relay as many pertinent details (historical and anecdotal) as possible. We want to do these interviews in person, because we feel that we would collect better and more interesting information that way.

The money raised will go towards travel expenses. We plan on taking Amtrak across the country (Amelia hates flying) and spending a week interviewing and painting with Buechner in Corning, NY. Then, we plan on conducting a third round of interviews with peers and friends in New York City while also visiting pertinent locations referenced in prior interviews.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any stories you would like to contribute or if you have any questions you want to ask about the project!

Your financial contribution, even if it's just $1, will always be greatly appreciated.