Background
He was born on March 28, 1921 in Chicago, Illinois.
He studied under Mies van der Rohe at the then Armour (now Illinois) Institute of Technology.
He was born on March 28, 1921 in Chicago, Illinois.
He studied under Mies van der Rohe at the then Armour (now Illinois) Institute of Technology. Rather he studied art at the Academia de Belle e, Florence, Italy and at the Ecole des Beaux s in Paris.
After service in World World War II with the United States Army Air Force he decided not to resume his architectural studies. From 1948 until 1956 he lived in Paris. He had numerous friends in art, literature, and other creative fields.
Among his close acquaintances were Joan Mitchell, Sam Francis, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Zao Wou-ki and others
He returned to the United States in 1956. From 1970 to 1980 they lived in Millbrook, New New York
From 1980 to 1987 they lived in East Hampton, New New York Thereafter, they lived in East Wallingford, Vermont until Bluhm"s death on February 3, 1999.
His work changed throughout his career while retaining certain elements (brush strokes, use of color and line, etc) that to the discerning viewer are obvious.
Shortly before Bluhm died, in 1999, in America editor Raphael Rubinstein predicted that this body of work would be as important to the 21st century as Cézanne’s later output was to the 20th. Bluhm"s work while recognized and praised has never received the measure of attention that some of his contemporaries, such as Joan Mitchell and Riopelle, have. In part, this is due to Bluhm"s unwillingness to cater sufficiently to those in the commercial art world.
Also changing art tastes in the 60"s with the advent of People’s (which Bluhm found utterly lacking in beauty and passion) placed Bluhm in a critical netherworld.
In 2007, the Station Museum of Contemporary in Houston, Texas, organised a major exhibition under the title "The Late Paintings of Norman Bluhm". The Houston Press reported that The New York artist’s panoramic paintings are patterned like stained glass windows or mandalas, but the shapes inside are sexy while Garland Fielder"s review at Glasstire mentioned that Bluhm’s paintings project such a life-affirming and honest candor, one cannot help but feel awash in a glow of spiritual joy.
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Coney Island Beauty
Claudia
Frozen Summer
Eudocia
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Green Frost
Dhatri II
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Still Life
Round About
Easter Morning
Erythea
Io
Pygmalion
Thamyris
Mathematics
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Butte
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Waterloo
Dido
Aritic
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Russian Easter
Acheron
Gronk!
Excalibur
Uranus
Mojabe
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