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Tom Wesselmann's Biography |
1955-56 - Studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, 1956-59 - Studied under Nicolas Marsicano at the Cooper Union School of Art and Architecture, New York. A powerful influence for him was Willem de Kooning. In 1959 he turned to experimenting with small, abstract collages. He was a painter, sculptor and printmaker. He had planned to become a cartoonist until his final year at the Cooper Union. In 1960 he changed to painting objects and landscapes. 1961 - First one-man exhibition at the Tanager Gallery, New York. He made small collages of torn paper and found materials in his Little Great American Nudes of 1961-2, which culminated in large, aggressive compositions such as Great American Nude //3 (1961). These and his giant still-lifes composed of common household objects bought him fame and notoriety as a founder of American Pop Art. His Great American Nudes remain his best - known work. 1962 - Participated in the exhibition "The Figure" at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. 1963 - Included in Pop Goes the East at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. 1965 - Young America 1965 exhibition at the Whitney Museum, New York. 1967 - He was represented at the Sao Paulo Biennale, and at the documenta "4" and "6", Kassel, in 1968 and 1977 respectively. His significant involvement with the Pop Art movement was acknowledged with his inclusion, in 1974 in the exhibition "American Pop Art", at the Whitney Museum, New York. 1970 - His 1970's era series known as Smokers focused on the female nude with enormous cut out details of red lips, manicured fingernails and cigarettes. He developed a reputation for favouring more of a commercial look, removing any sign of the painter's hand. 1980 - He began work in aluminium and enamel, adapting the clear lines of his earlier paintings. 1993/94 - An important retrospective of his work toured Japan beginning at the museum of Contemporary Art, Sapporo. 2004 - December 17th Tom Wesselmann died. At the time of his death he was working on nudes in the Abstract Expressionist style. Selected Exhibitions 2004 - Tom Wesselmann: New Works, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London 2000- Tom Wesselmann: Blue Nudes, Joesph Helman Gallery New York. Tom Wesselmann, JGM Galerie Paris, France 1999 - Tom Wesselmann: Small Survey: Small Scale, Maxwell Davidson Gallery New York, NY 1998 - Wetterling Gallery Stockholm, Sweden 1997 - Tom Wesselmann, Galerie Benden Klimczak Viersen, Germany 1996 - Tom Wesselmann Lasers and Lithos, Maxwell Davidson Gallery New York, NY 1995 - Tom Wesselmann, Sindy Janis Gallery New York, NY 1994 - Tom Wesselmann: Recent Works, Galerie Beatrice Wassermann Munich, Germany 1993 - Tom Wesselmann: New Cut Outs and Drawings, Wassermann Galerie Munich, Germany 1992 - Tom Wesselmann, Sindey Janis Gallery New York, NY 1991 - Galerie Tokoro Tokyo, Japan 1985 - Sidney Janis Gallery New York, NY 1984 - Modernism San Fransisco, CA 1983 - Sidney Janis Gallery New York, NY 1982 - Recent Work by Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery New York 1981 - Hokin Gallery Miami, FL 1980 - New Sculpture & Paintings by Tom Wesselman, Sidney Janis Gallery New York 1979 - Galerie Serge di Bloe Brussels 1979 - Ehrlich Gallery New York 1978 - Tom Wesselmann: Graphics 1964-77, Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, MA 1976 - Sidney Janis Gallery New York 1965 - Young America 1965 exhibition at the Whitney Museum, New York. 1963 - Pop Goes the East at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. 1961 - Tanager Gallery, New York 1993 - Work toured Japan commencing in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sapporo. Public collections Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
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