Gerald Coarding (1911-1986) was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1911 and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. After his military service in World War II he lived for some years in Paris, where he studied with Fernand Leger. During this time, his work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. When Coarding moved to New York, he studied with Hans Hoffman and in 1947, he had his first major exhibition at the Art Institute in Chicago and the Whitney in 1955. He worked at Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City when a painting was selected by David
Rockefeller (President of the Bank) for the permanent collection of the bank. He also exhibited at the Janet Fleischer Gallery in Philadelphia.