Tom Wesselmann

born Cincinnati, OH (USA) February 23,1931 died December 17, 2004

Tom Wesselmann (February 23, 1931 - December 17, 2004) was an American pop artist who specialised in found art collages. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wesselmann was drafted into the Army for the Korean War. Afterward, he studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and later at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science, Art and architecture in New York City.

While still at the Cooper Union Wesselmann learned to paint, his initial purpose of going into art was to become a cartoonist. His early work was heavily influenced by the abstract expressionist painters, especially Willem de Kooning. His art became more popular in the 1960s and had his first one-man exhibition in 1962 at the Tanager Gallery, New York. After that, his art made it to several other exhibitions such as the Young America exhibition in 1965, Whitney Museum, New York. Beginning in the 1950s, he made collages from magazine clippings and found objects, often incorporating female nudes. Wesselmann was best known for his "Great American Nudes" series. He died of complications following heart surgery, aged 73.

Select Timeline

Select Exhibitions

• 1976 - Sidney Janis Gallery New York
• 1978 - Tom Wesselmann: Graphics 1964-77, Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, MA
• 1979 - Galerie Serge di Bloe Brussels
• 1979 - Ehrlich Gallery New York
• 1980 - New Sculpture & Paintings by Tom Wesselman, Sidney Janis Gallery New York
• 1981 - Hokin Gallery Miami, FL
• 1982 - Recent Work by Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery New York
• 1983 - Sidney Janis Gallery New York, NY
• 1984 - Modernism San Fransisco, CA
• 1985 - Sidney Janis Gallery New York, NY
• 1991 - Galerie Tokoro Tokyo, Japan
• 1992 - Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery New York, NY
• 1993 - Tom Wesselmann: New Cut Outs and Drawings, Wassermann Galerie Munich, Germany
• 1994 - Tom Wesselmann: Recent Works, Galerie Beatrice Wassermann Munich, Germany
• 1995 - Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery New York, NY
• 1996 - Tom Wesselmann Lasers and Lithos, Maxwell Davidson Gallery New York, NY
• 1997 - Tom Wesselmann, Galerie Benden Klimczak Viersen, Germany
• 1998 - Wetterling Gallery Stockholm, Sweden
• 1999 - Tom Wesselmann: Small Survey: Small Scale, Maxwell Davidson Gallery New York, NY
• 2000 - Tom Wesselmann: Blue Nudes, Joesph Helman Gallery New York, NY
• 2000 - Tom Wesselmann, JGM Galerie Paris, France

Select Artwork

• My Black Belt, 1983-1990
• Monica Nude with Cezanne, 1993
• Still life with blonde and orange curtain, 1999
• Sunset Nude with Yellow Tulips,
• Fast Sketch Red Stocking Nude, 1991
• Bib Blonde With Choker, 1992

Quotes

• "I didn't want to deal in poetry. I got rid of that after a few months."
• "I used collage primarily because I was impatient and secondarily because I didn't have any point of view to paint the things myself and I felt very unskilled-I'd never done this before."
• "I'd never painted anything before. I was quite content to take other people's work since I didn't care anyway about the subject matter. I approached subject matter as a scoundrel. I had nothing to say about it whatsoever. I only wanted to make these exciting paintings."
• "It was all coming together in about 1962, I guess. More and more, I mean, because you had Lichtenstein coming on the scene, and Warhol and Rosenquist. Things were kind of clean and slick."
• "It was just kind of in the air at the time. I had a one-man show at the Tanager in '61. I was still involved with some idea of painterliness."

Publications

• Tom Wesselmann - by Tom Wesselmann, Danilo Eccher, Slim Stealingworth, Charta (March 2004)
• Tom Wesselmann (MACRO Exhibition Catalogue) - by Danilo Echer, Edizioni Electa (June 1, 2005)

Quick Facts

• Tom Wesselmann was an American pop artist who specialised in found art collages.
• Wesselmann was drafted into the Army for the Korean War.
• His early work was heavily influenced by the abstract expressionist painters, especially Willem de Kooning.
• His art became more popular in the 1960s and had his first one-man exhibition in 1962 at the Tanager Gallery, New York.
• Beginning in the 1950s, he made collages from magazine clippings and found objects, often incorporating female nudes. Wesselmann was best known for his "Great American Nudes" series.

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