Kálmán Kubinyi
Encyclopedia
Kálmán Mátyás Béla Kubinyi (June 29, 1906 Cleveland – September 3, 1973 Stockbridge, Massachusetts
) was an influential etcher, engraver and enamelist and a member of the so-called Cleveland School
, a number of relatively prominent artists in Northeast Ohio that existed from about 1910 to 1960.
Kubinyi was a modernist whose interpretations of the machine age through “ash can” subjects and industrial scenes often bear the stamp of Social Realism
. His work was widely exhibited throughout the 1930s, including at the Venice Biennale
(1937) and the New York World's Fair
(1939).
, later graduating from the Cleveland School of Art in 1926 and briefly engaging in further art studies in Munich
.
Kubinyi supervised the graphic arts division of the Works Progress Administration
in Cleveland from 1935 until 1939, when the W.P.A. named him to head the entire Cleveland W.P.A. arts project. During the 1930s, Kubinyi reportedly engaged in politics as a member of the Communist Party USA
, and taught printmaking at the Cleveland School of Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art
), the Cleveland Museum of Art
and the John Huntington Polytechnic Institute.
Kubinyi founded the Cleveland Print Makers in 1930 and served as its president for 11 years. In 1932, the group established the "Print-a-Month" series, the first of its kind in visual art, and apparently modeled on the 1926 Book-of-the-Month Club. For an annual fee of $10, subscribers received a monthly etching, lithograph or woodcut. Artists obtained $50 for each commission, printed in signed editions limited to 250 impressions. Contributors included Emil Ganso, Yasuo Kuniyoshi
, Rockwell Kent
, Kubinyi and many others during the series' five-year life span. Considering inflation, the $50 commission fee in 1932 might be worth about $752 in 2007 according to one calculation.
Between 1930 and 1948 Kubinyi took top prizes on five occasions at the Cleveland Museum of Art's May Show, an annual event which helped to define the Cleveland School over much of its life. He exhibited at the show in various media over a nearly 30-year period, beginning in 1928.
At age the age of 27, Kubinyi married Doris Hall (1907–2000) a successful artist in her own right, who first trained as a painter with Charles Hawthorne in Provincetown, Massachusetts
, and later at the Cleveland School of Art where she graduated in 1929. While studying in Cleveland, she met Kubinyi who was teaching printmaking. They later collaborated on a long and successful career in enameling beginning in the 1940s. The couple's daughter, Moisha, married the illustrator R.O. Blechman.
Kubinyi reportedly once said of their collaboration, "Control of color, design and most of the application of the enamel is done by Doris. I beat out the large sculptural forms, the metal forming, fabrication, ground coats, compounding of enamels, spraying and burning of undercoats. I take the brunt of the preparation."
During the 1940s, Kubinyi and his wife opened a gallery and studio in Gloucester, Massachusetts
. They later opened a studio/gallery in downtown Boston
, and finally a studio in Stockbridge, where Kubinyi also directed the art department for Hans Maeder
's Stockbridge School
.
Today Kubinyi’s work is found in various private collections and in several museums and other public venues, including the University of Michigan
Museum of Art, the Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University
, the Western Reserve Historical Society
and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. Three 1957 enamel works depicting signs of the Zodiac, are installed on the exterior of Michigan State University
's Brody Dormitories. These three works are primarily by Doris Hall, but with contributions from Kubinyi. As of 2009, the Brody works appeared to be in need of maintenance. "The Goldsmith of Florence: A Book of Great Craftsmen" and a few other volumes were illustrated by Kubinyi.
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County in Western Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,947 at the 2010 census...
) was an influential etcher, engraver and enamelist and a member of the so-called Cleveland School
Cleveland School
The Cleveland School refers to the flourishing local arts community of Northeast Ohio during the period from 1910-1960. It was so named in 1928 by Elrick Davis, a journalist with the Cleveland Press...
, a number of relatively prominent artists in Northeast Ohio that existed from about 1910 to 1960.
Kubinyi was a modernist whose interpretations of the machine age through “ash can” subjects and industrial scenes often bear the stamp of Social Realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
. His work was widely exhibited throughout the 1930s, including at the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
(1937) and the New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
(1939).
Biography
As a child he attended art classes taught by William ZorachWilliam Zorach
William Zorach was a Lithuanian-born American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and writer. He won the Logan Medal of the arts.-Life and career:...
, later graduating from the Cleveland School of Art in 1926 and briefly engaging in further art studies in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
Kubinyi supervised the graphic arts division of the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
in Cleveland from 1935 until 1939, when the W.P.A. named him to head the entire Cleveland W.P.A. arts project. During the 1930s, Kubinyi reportedly engaged in politics as a member of the Communist Party USA
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA is a Marxist political party in the United States, established in 1919. It has a long, complex history that is closely related to the histories of similar communist parties worldwide and the U.S. labor movement....
, and taught printmaking at the Cleveland School of Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland Institute of Art
The Cleveland Institute of Art is a private college of art and design located in University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women. From 1891 until 1948 it was named Cleveland School of Art. During the Great Depression the school...
), the Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland Museum of Art
The 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...
and the John Huntington Polytechnic Institute.
Kubinyi founded the Cleveland Print Makers in 1930 and served as its president for 11 years. In 1932, the group established the "Print-a-Month" series, the first of its kind in visual art, and apparently modeled on the 1926 Book-of-the-Month Club. For an annual fee of $10, subscribers received a monthly etching, lithograph or woodcut. Artists obtained $50 for each commission, printed in signed editions limited to 250 impressions. Contributors included Emil Ganso, Yasuo Kuniyoshi
Yasuo Kuniyoshi
was an American painter, photographer and printmaker born in Okayama, Japan.He migrated to America in 1906, a year later began studying at the Los Angeles School of Art and Design. In 1935 he was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship. He taught at the Art Students League of New York in New York City...
, Rockwell Kent
Rockwell Kent
Rockwell Kent was an American painter, printmaker, illustrator, and writer.- Biography :Rockwell Kent was born in Tarrytown, New York, the same year as fellow American artists George Bellows and Edward Hopper...
, Kubinyi and many others during the series' five-year life span. Considering inflation, the $50 commission fee in 1932 might be worth about $752 in 2007 according to one calculation.
Between 1930 and 1948 Kubinyi took top prizes on five occasions at the Cleveland Museum of Art's May Show, an annual event which helped to define the Cleveland School over much of its life. He exhibited at the show in various media over a nearly 30-year period, beginning in 1928.
At age the age of 27, Kubinyi married Doris Hall (1907–2000) a successful artist in her own right, who first trained as a painter with Charles Hawthorne in Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
, and later at the Cleveland School of Art where she graduated in 1929. While studying in Cleveland, she met Kubinyi who was teaching printmaking. They later collaborated on a long and successful career in enameling beginning in the 1940s. The couple's daughter, Moisha, married the illustrator R.O. Blechman.
Kubinyi reportedly once said of their collaboration, "Control of color, design and most of the application of the enamel is done by Doris. I beat out the large sculptural forms, the metal forming, fabrication, ground coats, compounding of enamels, spraying and burning of undercoats. I take the brunt of the preparation."
During the 1940s, Kubinyi and his wife opened a gallery and studio in Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester, Massachusetts
Gloucester is a city on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is part of Massachusetts' North Shore. The population was 28,789 at the 2010 U.S. Census...
. They later opened a studio/gallery in downtown Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, and finally a studio in Stockbridge, where Kubinyi also directed the art department for Hans Maeder
Hans Maeder
Hans Karl Maeder was an innovative educator who founded the Stockbridge School in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and served as its director and headmaster for 23 years.-Early life and career:...
's Stockbridge School
Stockbridge School
Stockbridge School was a "progressive" co-educational boarding school for adolescents near the Interlaken section of Stockbridge, Massachusetts and which operated from 1948 to 1976.-History:...
.
Today Kubinyi’s work is found in various private collections and in several museums and other public venues, including the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
Museum of Art, the Kelvin Smith Library at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
, the Western Reserve Historical Society
Western Reserve Historical Society
The Western Reserve Historical Society was founded in 1867, making it the oldest cultural institution in Northeast Ohio. WRHS is located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.-About:...
and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. Three 1957 enamel works depicting signs of the Zodiac, are installed on the exterior of Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
's Brody Dormitories. These three works are primarily by Doris Hall, but with contributions from Kubinyi. As of 2009, the Brody works appeared to be in need of maintenance. "The Goldsmith of Florence: A Book of Great Craftsmen" and a few other volumes were illustrated by Kubinyi.