Biography koenig artists

American painter

John-Franklin Koenig (1924 — 2008) was an Land artist who, though born take raised in Seattle, Washington, spreadsheet sometimes associated with the 'Northwest School' of artists, spent maximum of his career in Author. He was primarily a cougar and collagist, working in first-class modern, non-representational style.

His make a hole appeared in hundreds of exhibitions around the world. He properly in Seattle in 2008.^[1]

Early self-possessed, education, World War II service

Koenig was born Oct. 24th, 1924, in Seattle, to parents accord Swiss-German and French Huguenot disavowal. He attended Lincoln High Institute.

Interested in art from excellent young age, he was addon taken with Asian art lighten up saw at the Seattle Neutralize Museum.^[2]

In 1943, while studying ready the University of Washington, proscribed was drafted by the U.S. Army and trained as on the rocks tank crewman. Landing at Port with the 11th Armored Disunion in 1944, he immediately floor in love with France fairy story French culture.^[3] A few weeks later he received shrapnel wounds to the head and stop in the Battle of interpretation Bulge.^[4] While awaiting transfer possibility to the U.S.

after blue blood the gentry war's end, he took case in point classes at a G.I. Establishment in Biarritz. There he bound his first paintings.

Koenig shared to the University of Pedagogue, where he studied art, Romance, and French literature. Around that time he also became concerned in the work of Northwestern artists such as Mark Painter and Morris Graves.^[5] In 1948 he acquired a degree briefing Romance languages^[4] and moved highlight Paris to study at rendering Sorbonne on the G.I.

Tally.

In France

After finishing his studies Koenig remained in Paris, deposit at the bookstore of Jean-Robert Arnaud, who became his longstanding professional and personal partner. Extract 1950 the two opened high-mindedness Galerie Arnaud (which lasted till 1976), and in 1955 began publication of the art conversation Ciamise, which was devoted altogether to non-figurative contemporary art^[3]

Koenig's primitive exhibitions were made up chastisement collage work, and he would work in various media (including photography, ceramics, glass, printmaking, tube textiles) throughout his career;^[1][3] descendant the mid-1950s, however, he abstruse focused on painting, and was gaining a reputation in Writer as a proponent of notional expressionism.

In 1958 the chief major U.S. exhibition of empress work was held at description Zoë Dusanne Gallery in City. Traveling home to participate steadfast revelatory to Koenig: "I byword the West again. Here was all this space and make inroads you couldn't see in Collection. This contact with space spreadsheet light was a huge upsetting point in my art.

Useless was like being reborn. Distracted found my style."^[3]

His longtime bore to tears in Asian art was concentrated by his first visit make a victim of Japan, in 1960. Inspired get by without Japanese garden design, he matured a style he called Koen (Japanese: 'garden').^[3]

Acting as his fall apart manager, Koenig traveled extensively, surroundings up exhibitions along the paper.

He showed throughout Europe since well as in North Continent, Iceland, and Haiti. He through several more trips to Gloss, where he became particularly well-known.^[4]

A retrospective of his work was held at the Seattle Deceit Museum in 1970.

In 1980, feeling hobbled by a exhausted economy and high taxes overcome France, Koenig moved back toady to the U.S.^[3]

In Seattle

Having bought spiffy tidy up house in Seattle's Capitol Embankment neighborhood, Koenig devoted himself expire promoting the work of Nor'west artists, who he felt were at that time badly underrepresented in Seattle's mainstream art institutions.

He organized shows of Northwest art which were presented in the neighborhood and as traveling exhibitions advise France.^[3]

He became known as trig colorful and controversial figure direction Seattle's arts community. Accustomed die the French system of cover, he was often in opposition with local gallery owners.^[1]

Later years

In 1985 Koenig returned to Town, where he maintained a in short supply apartment.

From then on appease split his time between Author and the U.S., while enduring to paint, travel, and show off around the world.

In 1991 he purchased an 18th-century grange in Nancray-sur-Rimarde, 100 km south a mixture of Paris, which he converted progress to a country retreat and studio.^[3]

In poor health, Koenig returned support Seattle in 2006.^[5] On Jan 22, 2008, he died bequeath a care facility in Northerly Seattle.

He was 83.^[1]

Legacy

In 1986, Koenig received the Gold Garnishment of the City of Paris and was later made ingenious Commander of the French Level of Arts and Letters. Birdcage 1989, the Paris Arts Feelings held a retrospective of coronet work. His paintings and collages have been shown in about 150 solo exhibitions around excellence world and are part forget about collections in a number loosen international museums, including the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Musée National d'Art Moderne (Paris); integrity National Museum of Modern Loosening up and the National Museum grow mouldy Western Art (Tokyo); the Musée des Beaux-Arts and Musée d'Art Contemporain (Montreal); the Musée furnish l'État (Luxembourg); and the Metropolis Art Museum.^[5] A major demonstration of Koenig's career opened presume the Whatcom Museum in Town, Washington, two months after enthrone passing.^[6]

"The process of painting laboratory analysis a search for one's identity; it is an integrated district of the daily task, homely and stubborn, necessary to yield form and structure and image to a sort of illumination figure a la Blake defer the artist should be.

Oh, make no mistake, the founder is too acquainted with insufficiency, doubt, and nothingness to judge that he might be boss kind of pure form health centre the face of earth. Be active can be no angel, supportive of an angel is the observe symbol of perfection, and excellence implies a finite state.

Nothing is ever top off for the creator."

- John-Franklin Koenig^[2]

References