Kay Kurt
Encyclopedia
Kay Kurt is an American
New Realist painter
known for her large-scale candy paintings.
. She attended Clark College in her home town, earning a BFA in 1966. In 1968 she completed an MFA in painting from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. As a graduate student she developed her signature style and subject matter: candy painted up-close and in meticulous detail, often on enormous canvases. Typical candies featured in her oeuvre include licorice, bon bon
s, jordan almonds
, jujubes and gummi bears. Her choice of subject reflects her interest in mass production and consumer culture around the world.
Through her friend and fellow artist Jack Beal, Kurt met Ivan C. Karp, then Assistant Director of the Leo Castelli
Gallery. Karp showed her work to gallerist Jill Kornblee, who began showing Kurt's paintings at the Kornblee Gallery in New York City
in 1968. A year later her work was featured in London
's Hayward Gallery
Pop Art exhibition, curated by John Russell
, then art critic
of The Sunday Times
, and artist
and art critic
Suzi Gablik. Kurt was one of the youngest artists included in the exhibition and was also one of the only women. Her work was later featured in the 1973 Whitney Biennial
and in numerous other group and solo exhibitions throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Aside from a brief tenure in Germany
in 1968-69, Kurt has remained in the Midwest. She moved to Duluth, Minnesota
when her husband, Medieval scholar Klaus Jankofsky, began teaching at the University of Minnesota, Duluth
in 1969. She continues to live and work in Duluth today.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
New Realist painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
known for her large-scale candy paintings.
Biography
Kurt was born in Dubuque, IowaDubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
. She attended Clark College in her home town, earning a BFA in 1966. In 1968 she completed an MFA in painting from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. As a graduate student she developed her signature style and subject matter: candy painted up-close and in meticulous detail, often on enormous canvases. Typical candies featured in her oeuvre include licorice, bon bon
Bon Bon
Bonbon refers to any of several types of sweets, especially small candies enrobed in chocolateBon Bon may also refer to:* Bon Bon Reserve, South Australia* Bon-Bon , by Edgar Allan Poe* Bon-Bon Blanco* Bonbon, Grand'Anse...
s, jordan almonds
Jordan Almonds
Jordan almonds, also known as sugared almonds or confetti, are a type of confectionery consisting of almonds covered with a candy coating in various colors, originating from Italy and particularly typical of the town of Sulmona...
, jujubes and gummi bears. Her choice of subject reflects her interest in mass production and consumer culture around the world.
Through her friend and fellow artist Jack Beal, Kurt met Ivan C. Karp, then Assistant Director of the Leo Castelli
Leo Castelli
Leo Castelli was an American art dealer. He was best known to the public as an art dealer whose gallery showcased cutting edge Contemporary art for five decades...
Gallery. Karp showed her work to gallerist Jill Kornblee, who began showing Kurt's paintings at the Kornblee Gallery in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1968. A year later her work was featured in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Hayward Gallery
Hayward Gallery
The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute...
Pop Art exhibition, curated by John Russell
John Russell (art critic)
John Russell CBE was a British American art critic.-Life and career:John Russell was born in Fleet, Hampshire, England, in 1919. He attended St Paul's School and then Magdalen College, Oxford....
, then art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
of The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and art critic
Art critic
An art critic is a person who specializes in evaluating art. Their written critiques, or reviews, are published in newspapers, magazines, books and on web sites...
Suzi Gablik. Kurt was one of the youngest artists included in the exhibition and was also one of the only women. Her work was later featured in the 1973 Whitney Biennial
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
and in numerous other group and solo exhibitions throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Aside from a brief tenure in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1968-69, Kurt has remained in the Midwest. She moved to Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
when her husband, Medieval scholar Klaus Jankofsky, began teaching at the University of Minnesota, Duluth
University of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
in 1969. She continues to live and work in Duluth today.
Selected Exhibitions
- 1968 Kornblee Gallery, New York, [Group Show]
- 1968 Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, "The Big Detail" - 1969 Finch CollegeFinch CollegeFinch College was a baccalaureate women's college located in Manhattan, New York City, New York. It began as a finishing school for wealthy young women and later evolved into a liberal arts college...
, New York, "The Dominant Woman" - 1969 Hayward GalleryHayward GalleryThe Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames, in central London, England. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings and also the Royal National Theatre and British Film Institute...
, London, England, "Pop Art" - 1970 Kornblee Gallery, New York, [One-Woman Show]
- 1971 Neuberger Art Museum, SUNY Purchase, New York, "New Realism"
- 1972 Suffolk Museum, Virginia, "Unmanly Art"
- 1972 Cleveland Museum of ArtCleveland Museum of ArtThe Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
, Ohio, "Contemporary Realists" - 1973 Whitney Museum of American ArtWhitney Museum of American ArtThe Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, New York, Whitney Biennial - 1974 Land Art Gallery at Scripps CollegeScripps CollegeScripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for...
, Claremont, California, "The Fine Art of Food" - 1978 Whitney Museum of American ArtWhitney Museum of American ArtThe Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, Downtown Branch, New York, "Out of the House" - 1978 Kornblee Gallery, New York, "Some Observations About Scale"
- 1979 Kornblee Gallery, New York, "Grand Paintings" [Ten Year One-Woman Retrospective]
- 1980 Walker Art CenterWalker Art CenterThe Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
, Minneapolis, Minnesota "Kay Kurt: Paintings" [traveling exhibition] - 1983 Kornblee Gallery, New York, [One-Woman Show]
- 1985 San Francisco Museum of Modern ArtSan Francisco Museum of Modern ArtThe San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, California, "American Realism, 20th Century Drawings and Watercolors" - 1991 Museum of Art, Dubuque, Iowa, "A Closer Look" [One-Woman Show]
- 1995 Artworks Gallery WARM/Duluth Chapter, Minneapolis, Minnesota, [Inaugural Group Show]
- 1997 Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, Minnesota, "Celebrate: Women in the Arts" [traveling exhibition]
- 2010 University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, "Seductive Subversion: Women Pop Artists, 1958-1968" [traveling exhibition]
Collections
- Corcoran Gallery of ArtCorcoran Gallery of ArtThe Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, Washington, D.C. - Boise Art Museum, Glenn C. Janss Collection, Boise ID
- Neuberger Museum of Art, SUNY, Purchase NY
- Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, New York NY - Tweed Museum of ArtTweed Museum of ArtThe Tweed Museum of Art is a museum located on the campus of the University of Minnesota Duluth, in Duluth, Minnesota.It has a permanent collection of over 6,000 works covering a range of periods and cultures in art history, with particular strengths in American landscape painting. The Tweed was...
, University of Minnesota, Duluth MN - Walker Art CenterWalker Art CenterThe Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
, Minneapolis MN - Whitney Museum of American ArtWhitney Museum of American ArtThe Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, New York NY
External links
- Official Website
- Kay Kurt on artnet
- Kay Kurt at the Tweed Museum of Art, Duluth MN