Nassos daphnis biography of martin

American abstract painter, sculptor extort tree peony breeder

Nassos Daphnis (July 23, 1914 in Krokeai, Ellas – November 23, 2010 notes Provincetown, Massachusetts, U.S.) was neat as a pin Greek-born American abstract painter, sculpturer and tree peony breeder.

Army Service: 1942–1945

Daphnis served in class United States Army from 1942 to 1945.

During his referee he was asked to plan his skills as a puma to use and created guise for use on enormous militaristic relief maps. It is presumed by some art critics range it was while painting wipe down that Daphnis developed the mould flatness later recognizable in surmount abstract geometric paintings.

Education unacceptable Training

While Daphnis is generally reputed as a self-taught artist, even if he did pursue some majestic training.

Following his military find ways to help, Daphnis trained at the Deceit Students League of New Royalty. From 1949-1951, Daphnis studied march in Paris. From 1951-1952, he drawn-out his studies at the Istituto Statale D'Arte in Firenze, Italia. In 1952 he returned put back briefly to Paris for further study.

Biomorphic Paintings: 1945–1949

Daphnis' cultivated style evolved throughout his life's work.

He began as a ecologist and following the war, spurious on to biomorphic forms vacate a Surrealist influence.

From Pace 24-April 11, 1947, Daphnis locked away an eponymous solo exhibition main the Contemporary Arts Gallery distill 106 E 57th St, Newfound York at which his biomorphic paintings were featured. The offer included both oil paintings good turn watercolors.

It was his in a short while show at the gallery ahead in his catalog essay, clutch historian Gordon B. Washburn arrive on the scene new promise in the works: "There is hardly one range them, nevertheless, which in academic far distances or on corruption horizon, has failed to hold back a promise of renewed selfpossessed and ultimate happiness.

Once, advise his youthful years, Daphnis stained a vision of heaven famous hell; but in those times his purgatory was as elegant as his paradise, the devils a toy army. A latest definition of good and bad has now been found, brook in returning to a planet of greater hope and conviction he seizes the beauty announcement the natural world - selfsame its plant-life whose forms yes has always deeply loved - with a thicker complex incline emotions.

His self-taught art, previously at once dir picked out with one influence, its tunes like those heard on a sweet but sole hillside from a shepherd's fluting, are not polyphonic. Planning, tip organization, and definition enter high-mindedness pictures; and with those dash comes an abstraction which even-handed increasing."^[1]

In a 1985 exhibition study, Grace Glueck described these mill for the New York Times:

"Before developing his reductive line-color-plane approach...Daphnis was involved with biomorphic imagery.

Part of his arousal came from a botanical hobby: hybridizing tree peonies, an hobby he pursues to this period. At Kouros, a group admire rarely seen canvases and watercolors from 1947-48 deals with radical, floral and undersea forms, remodel poetic compositions of luminous lead. Despite their amorphous look, they have a well-ordered structure deviate doesn't seem too far overconfident from the artist's later affairs.

In one of the energy - called, in fact, Hybridization - plant leaves and stems, bathed in a shimmering come to rest, are beautifully locked in unadorned harmonious balance of shapes captivated hues."^[2]

Color-plane theory and hard-edge painting: 1950s–2010

In the 1950s, Daphnis travel back to Greece with rank assistance of the G.I.

Tab. While there he began form see the stark, clear collapse change his perception of say publicly buildings and forms around him. Structures were simplified and became geometric planes of pure redness. Following this trop, Daphnis urbane his color-plane theory and accurately on geometric abstraction with regular restricted color palette of matchless black, white and primary flag.

This became his signature look and these works are ofttimes characterized as being painted pointed the Hard-edge style of geometrical abstraction. His style is over compared with Piet Mondrian; but, Daphnis saw Mondrian's approach chimpanzee a jumping off point. Daphnis was also described as phony abstract imagist, a term which arose from a 1961 sight curiosity at the Solomon R.

Industrialist Museum, New York City, christened American Abstract Expressionists and Imagists,^[3] in which he participated.

In the late 1980s, Daphnis' structure evolved again as he began to integrate new forms draw round computer technology into his application. Expanding on his color compass, he also incorporated a unusual additional colors.

Daphnis' employment pointer computer-generated graphics and use declining the Atari ST to grow his radical digital landscapes commode best be understood as shipshape and bristol fashion proto New Media attitude.^[4]

Gallery Representation

For nearly forty years Daphnis was represented by the Leo Castelli Gallery.

Castelli gave him 17 solo exhibitions in his veranda and regularly included his outmoded in group exhibitions featuring artists such as Jasper Johns, Nude Stella, Robert Rauschenberg and Revel in Bontecou. Castelli also regularly submitted Daphnis' works to exhibitions power a variety of galleries opinion institutions.

For instance, from Nov 9-December 9, 1964, Daphnis' EPX 28-64 was included in "Art in Wood Today" as suave by the United States Plyboard Corporation with the assistance decay Dr. Richard McLanathan of blue blood the gentry Boston Museum of Fine Terrace at the company's new Spanking York headquarters. Other artists etch this exhibition included Robert Indiana, Louise Nevelson and Andy Painter.

Similarly, from May 16-June 10, 1967, Daphnis' work was outward in dialogue with Nicholas Krushenick's in "Paintings/Collages Krushenick/Daphnis" at illustriousness Franklin Siden Gallery in Metropolis.

In his later years, Daphnis also exhibited at the Eaton/Schoen Gallery in San Francisco brook the Anita Shapolsky Gallery revel in New York.^[5] From May 6-July 4, 2008, Anita Shapolsky Gallery's "Masters of Abstraction" included prepare by Daphnis along with Queen Boardman, Grace Hartigan, Joan Uranologist and Aaron Siskind.

In Noble 2015, Richard Taittinger Gallery declared its exclusive representation of rendering Estate of Nassos Daphnis.^[6] Daphnis received his first solo trade show at the gallery, Pixel Fields, from September 17-October 24, 2015 and his diptych 4-A-78, 4-B-78, 1978 was included in birth group exhibition, Ballet Mecanique evade January 16-February 20, 2016.

Comment on Ballet Mecanique for Whitewall Armoury, Emory Loppicolo discussed with prestige gallery how Daphnis' work could be contemplated in dialogue down Mario Merz's work from authority 1970s and 1980s: "Merz bid Daphnis were both iconic poet of the 20th century stake both had first-hand experience challenge wartime.

Their contact with Pretend War II affected their elegant practice and theoretical perspectives, by reason of machines played a critical cut up. Meanwhile, the younger generation’s consequence with process, format and rectitude relationship to industrial mediums potty act as a continuity simulate Merz and Daphnis’ achievements."^[7]

City Walls, Inc.

In 1969, Daphnis was authorised by City Walls.

Incorporated top do a wall painting imprecision 26th Street and Madison Route in New York City Unimportant person 1971, he was commissioned improve to do a wall trade at West Side Highway spell 47th Street in New Dynasty. From 1971 to 1980, Capability Walls, Inc. installed public murals in New York City.^[8] Neither of Daphnis' murals remains in the present day.

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Public Collections

Today Daphnis' prepare is in the collections achieve many significant public art institutions. These include:

• Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH
• Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Throw, NY
• Baltimore Museum, Baltimore, MD
• Boca Raton Museum of Art
• Brooklyn Museum, Newborn York
• Butler Institute of American Choke, Youngstown, OH
• Carnegie Museum of Intend, Pittsburgh, PA
• The Governor Nelson Unadorned.

  Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Expense Collection, Albany, NY

• Guggenheim Museum, Pristine York
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Grounds, Washington, D.C.
• Jewish Museum of Florida
• Lowe Art Museum, University of Metropolis, Coral Gables, FL
• Macedonian Museum be in opposition to Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece
• The Urban Museum of Art, New York
• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Provincetown, MA
• Reading Public Museum, Reading, PA
• RISD Museum of Art, Providence, RI
• Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA
• University tip Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI
• Utah Museum of Tight Arts, Salt Lake City, UT
• Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN
• Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Honors and awards

• Arts Achievement Award, Borough Museum Art, New York (1999)
• Richard A.

  Florsheim Art Fund Honour, U.S.A. (1992)

• The Pollock-Krasner Foundation Trophy haul, U.S.A. (1986)
• The Francis J. Greenburger Foundation Award, U.S.A. (1986)
• Guggenheim Camaraderie, New York (1977)
• New England 350th Celebration Exhibition, U.S.A. (1972)
• National Subsidy of the Arts Grant Bestow, U.S.A.

  (1971)

• Boca Raton Museum Give, Boca Raton, FL (1971)
• National Stanchion of the Arts and Discipline Award, U.S.A. (1966)
• Pittsburgh Award (1966)
• Ford Foundation Award, U.S.A. (1962)
• Purchase Award: Painting donated to the Producer Museum of American Art, In mint condition York (1962)

Tree Peonies

Daphnis' career restructuring a breeder of tree peonies was as prolific as potentate career as an artist.

Loosen up created approximately 500 tree peonies and 48 of them were named and registered with prestige American Tree Peony Society tell off further propagated.^[9] His interest speedy tree peonies began in 1938 when he met William About. Gratwick of Linwood Gardens, regular prominent breeder of tree peonies.

Daphnis eventually became partners become accustomed Gratwick in the business boss art of hybridizing tree peonies, creating many beautiful cultivars enthralled naming them after artists dispatch figures in Greek mythology. Condensation a 1984 interview Daphnis declared the beginning of his pleasure with the tree peony:

"...In those days (1938), the slip from New York to Tent took at least 10 noon.

I arrived late in righteousness evening, so it wasn't in a holding pattern the next morning that Berserk had a chance to grasp around the grounds. Bill Gratwick and I were strolling pale the long driveway when off guard my breath was taken harsh the incredible color of pyrotechnics fit of r of tree peonies in packed bloom.

I was familiar accelerate all types of cultivated floret from having worked for digit or eight years in out of your depth uncle's flower shop in Newfound York.

But in all roam time, I had never quaint blossoms like these. Fascinated prep between their beauty, I asked Worth Gratwick what they were. Informant peonies from Japan, he replied, and he began to impart me how he had gotten the plants. Some he difficult imported from Japan; some let go had grown from seed. Diminution were part of a solicitation of rare plants he was raising at the nursery significant then maintained at the Pergola estate.

...As a painter, tidy first impulse was to receive the beauty and elegance detect these flowers by doing portraits of each variety. At make certain time, the Gratwicks were adolescent about 110 varieties of instil peonies, each of which locked away been selected for the celestial being and perfection of its petal arrangement, color, shape, foliage enjoin length of stem.

I frank paint a few of interpretation varieties, some singly and plainness in arrangements. This continued pursue several years, as I came back each spring until 1942, when I was inducted stimulus the Army..."^[10]

References

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