Nebraska Artist Terence Duren’s Childhood Desk

This small desk belonged to Nebraska artist Terence Duren. Duren was born in 1904 and lived most of his life in Shelby, Nebraska. Provenance provided with the desk indicates that he used it when he was a child, around the time he started to draw and paint. He later embellished it with painted designs in about 1945.

Duren graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1929 and became known as a muralist after studying at schools in Fountainebleau, France and Vienna, Austria. Duren taught at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and at Western Reserve University, in Cleveland. At the start of World War II, he returned to Shelby, Nebraska, but continued to exhibit work around the country.

In 1944 one of his paintings was chosen for Portrait of America, an exhibition that opened at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and toured to eight museums across the country. Duren’s other work ranged from opera set design to costumes for a marionette production at the New York World’s Fair. He was also an illustrator, and his work regularly appeared on the cover of the “Magazine of the Midlands,” the Sunday supplement of the Omaha World-Herald.

History Nebraska has nine works by Terence Duren in its collection.

The desk and hundreds of other objects were recently recataloged and photographed as part of a grant project to rehouse and recatalog furniture and large artifacts in History Nebraska’s collection. You can view this object and more in History Nebraska’s online database.

This project was made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, IMLS number MA-30-16-0329-16.

 

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

You May Also Enjoy

Nebraska Election Trivia

Nebraska Election Trivia

Marker Monday: Pawnee City

Marker Monday: Pawnee City

The Headless Ghost of Redington, Nebraska

The Headless Ghost of Redington, Nebraska

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director Cindy Drake. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.