Alexander Bogardy

Alexander Bogardy immigrated to America as a young child and settled in Baltimore. He changed careers frequently during his life, spending time as a violinist, boxer, mechanical engineer, and cosmetologist before he turned to painting. He was a devout Catholic and created more than ninety paintings of religious ceremonies, shrines, and stories. But Bogardy grew restless after two decades of painting and abandoned art to take up flamenco dancing. (M. Orgeron and M. Parsons, “Alexander Bogardy: The Union of Divinity, Cosmetology and Art,” Folk Art Messenger, Summer/Fall 2003; Parsons and Orgeron, “Alexander Bogardy, Singular Pursuits,” Folk Art, Spring/Summer 2004)