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1900 - 1962

Kurt Seligmann

description

A Swiss artist of Jewish descent, graphic artist and writer, as well as set designer and engraver, who lived and worked in the USA for a long time. Kurt Seligman is famous for his fantastic images of medieval troubadours and knights who carried out bright and sometimes terrible rituals and partly inspired the theme of carnivals held annually in his native Swiss Basel. The masterpiece of surrealistic engraving is a series of six etchings illustrating the Greek myth of Oedipus, published in 1944 and reprinted many times. His considerable work is also his book “The history of magic and occultism” (initially “Mirror Magic”, New York, 1948).

In his personal technique of automatism, Seligmann sought to achieve images by pure chance, as well as to transfer images of natural phenomena. For example, he followed the patterns and forms that created the cyclones and created impressive landscapes of the Grand Canyon and the American southwest, finding in them a psychological similarity with anthropomorphic elements. The master said, “These are landscapes, but they are not static. I call them cyclonic”.

Among the artists of the second generation of Surrealists, Kurt Seligmann was ignored by art experts for some time; this can be partially explained by his eccentric images and somewhat academic approach to fine arts and graphic art. However, nowadays this is considered the reflection of his artistic and intellectual independence. The art of K. Seligmann was never defined by any “ism” because he strived for the synthesis of abstract and figurative styles within general contemporary art problems.

Key ideas:

– In the interview of 1935, Seligmann remembered that his childhood in Basel left an indelible mark in his mind, “The images of the soldiers of Fortune, heraldic banners, armour, deafening sounds of huge drums — this whole anachronistic series was very much alive for me”. Right in the culture of my city, to which my subconsciousness always travels, be it abstract or figurative”.

– Having moved to Paris at the beginning of the 1930s, when the city was the epicentre of avant-garde art movements, especially Abstract art and Surrealism, Seligmann got imbued with the style of both art movements. His half-geometrical abstractions gradually softened to geometric shapes; his paintings filled with contrasting colours, interacting in wide curves. This impressed Jean Arp, so he invited Kurt to his workshop.

– Seligmann’s paintings, unlike the works of abstractionists, whom he joined, contained Surrealist tendencies almost from the beginning. As a result, his paintings turned into a unique combination of abstract art, Swiss art tradition and Surrealism.

– Seligmann, like other Surrealists, purchased objects of art of different tribes. He was interested in the “totemic essence” of such objects, as it symbolized the connections of a human being with primary life conditions. Kurt visited British Columbia, lived three months in a remote settlement, watching the life and traditions of local inhabitants. He even bought an 18-metre totem pole – it was installed at the entrance to the museum de l’Homme in Paris.

– In his works of the 1950s, Seligmann often referred to herbal forms, depicted insects and space; his new art preserved classical elements of the figure and filled with billowing images, movement and energy, which were close to the new art movement – Abstract Expressionism.

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1900

1919

1929

1931

1935

1938

1939

1942

1948

1949

1950

1952

1955

1959

1962

Kurt Seligmann was born

Kurt Seligmann was born into a Jewish family of a furniture dealer and a relative of famous patron of the arts Peggy Guggenheim. When he was a student at the gymnasium, he worked as a colorist at a printing house and took private drawing lessons from Basel artists.

Entered the Geneva School of Fine Arts

Entered the Geneva School of Fine Arts. Five works by the painter were exhibited at the annual Christmas exhibition in Kunsthalle in Basel (participated in it and in subsequent years, the last time in 1958). Kurt’s fellow practitioner was A. Giacometti – since then, they had always been friends. However, he left arts already after one year and had to help his father in the furniture business till 1927.

He arrived in Paris

After a one-year study at the Florence Academy di Belle Arti, he arrived in Paris, entered the painting class at the Académie André Lhote, but then moved on to less academic studies at Académie de la Grande Chaumiére. Attended the opening days of works by Arp, and then Ernst. Both of these exhibitions opened surrealistic art to the young artist. After a year, his paintings were accepted to the group exhibition at the Salon des Surindépendants. The artist met leader of Surrealism Andre Breton. He entered the Academy of Modern (the class of F. Leger), but soon left it.

Organized his first solo exhibition at the Salon of Independent

Organized his first solo exhibition at the Salon of Independent. At the suggestion of Arp, he became a member of the avant-garde group Abstraction-Creation. Soon there was a conflict between the demands of the group of abstract artists and figurative surrealism, and Kurt tried to proclaim such an artistic movement as neoconcretism. In 1932, his works were exhibited at the Parisian gallery of J. Boucher and at the Basel New Art Museum. Soon he was accepted by A. Breton into the ranks of the surrealist movement.

Seligmann married Arlette Paraff

After the exhibition of watercolors at the Galleria del Milione (Milan, 1934), there were numerous presentations of his paintings in France, England, and Italy. Seligmann married Arlette Paraff (Ernst and Arp were witnesses at the wedding) and went with his wife on a semi-annual journey: the United States, Tahiti, Australia, Shanghai, Tokyo. In Japan, the father of his Paris friend, Okamoto, organized a vernissage of the paintings he created during the voyage at the respectable Mitsa Kosi Gallery; these works aroused great interest among Japanese art public.

13 works by Seligmann were presented at the International Surrealist Exhibition in Paris

13 works by Seligmann were presented at the International Surrealist Exhibition in Paris; he became the third by his importance among the participants, after Miro and Ernst. They made a trip to Canada and Alaska, carefully getting acquainted with the totem cults of the peoples of the Pacific Coast. Was awarded an honorary diploma of the Society of American Studies in Paris for the work on this subject.

The Seligman family left France

Literally on the day the outbreak of World War II, the Seligman family left France. In New York, the first American exhibition of the artist took place at the Niendorf Gallery in the same year; in the next year, he participated in the 4th international Surrealist Exhibition at the Art Gallery of Mexico.

“Artists in Exile”

The master participated in the landmark exhibition “Artists in Exile” at the P. Matisse Gallery in New York, which included 14 authors (Chagall, Ernst, Léger, Masson, Matta, Mondrian, Tanguy, Chelishchev, etc.). Acquired the farm Sugar Loaf near New York, where he lived intermittently all his life. Was engaged in occult sciences.

«The Mirror of Magic»

Seligmann’s book about occult iconography “The Mirror of Magic” was published.

The exhibition of 22 of his works and 4 of his drawings on glass was a success

Trying to return to Paris, Kurt did not find agreement with the local artists, although the exhibition of 22 of his works and 4 of his drawings on glass was a success. He returned to the USA, since then identifying himself as a member of the New York School of Painting.

“The Birth of Painting”

A 35-minute film, “The Birth of Painting”, was made about Seligmann. His solo exhibition was held at the Durlacher Bros gallery in New York. The artist organized an American delegation for the participation in the Third exhibition of Independent artists, which took place in Tokyo and in Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan.

The personal exhibition of the artist was opened at the Gallery Durlacher Bros

The personal exhibition of the artist was opened at the Gallery Durlacher Bros; after one year – at the gallery of Alexander Iolas (both are in New York). The artist, who previously worked as a teacher at the New School of Social Research, was invited to teach students at Brooklyn College.

He received US citizenship

He received US citizenship; the master’s personal exhibitions were held at the Durlacher Bros Gallery and at the Fantasia Gallery (Washington). The artist went to Paris for two years, where he worked on a new series of paintings, which he called “Full Daylight”.

He suffered a heart attack

He suffered a heart attack a year earlier, but returned to work six weeks later, preparing for a double exhibition with Max Ernst – the opening was held at the University of Pennsylvania.