Carl Burger

Werner C. Burger, Carl, to all those who have had the honor to know him, has passed on to eternal rest at his home in Stewartsville NJ on February 21, 2023.

He was born in Pforzheim, Germany in 1925 and emigrated with his parents to America in 1926. Raised in New Jersey, Carl was a devoted son and a man of great integrity. During World War II he served in Army Military Intelligence in France and Germany. After the war, Carl attended New York University, Columbia, Rutgers, and the Arts Student League receiving degrees in Fine Arts, Art Education, Painting and Interior Design. In 1993 he retired as Professor Emeritus from Kean University in New Jersey.

Carl's brilliant mind made for many long and meaningful discussions about the passions that his artistic vision brought to life, not least of which were the environment, world history, religion and the unending beauty in all of nature. His career began as a high school art teacher in Ocean Grove and Westfield, New Jersey and then as a fine arts professor at Kean University, where he established the Karl and Helen Burger art gallery on campus.

As a lifetime artist, Carl has collections held in the Butler Institute of American Art, The Morris Museum, The Noyes Museum, The New Jersey State Museum, Newark Museum and Princeton University Art Museum as well as noted corporate collections including British Airways, Warner Communications, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Nabisco, Ortho Pharmaceuticals and countless private collections. His many exhibits include those in Lincoln Center, The National Academy of Design in New York, The Philadelphia Art Museum, The Smithsonian Institute, and international shows in Budapest and Germany. He has been the subject of two documentaries for NJN Public Television and his catalog of awards and honors is extensive.

Carl's is one of New Jersey's beloved regional artists and his talent reaches beyond superlatives. He will be remembered for seeing beauty in the world and giving to all who were fortunate enough to know him the gift of love and friendship--his true masterpiece! With unending love and affection for his family and friends, he leaves behind his nephews Stephen, Paul, Karl, and Peter, his devoted friend Russ Hosp, and his beloved partner, Rafael Lopez-Cruz.

Friends may call from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Monday, February 27, 2023 at the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington NJ 08822. Visitation will conclude with Military Honors rendered at 8:00 pm at the funeral home. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105.

For further information or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.holcombefisher.com.