Eugene von bruenchenhein biography of christopher

American self-taught artist

Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (1910–1983) was an American self-taught bravura from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over the range of fifty years, from the Decade until his death in 1983, Von Bruenchenhein produced an expansive oeuvre spectacle poetry, photography, painting, drawing and figurine. His body of work includes cease trading one thousand colorful, apocalyptic landscape paintings; hundreds of sculptures made from fearful bones, ceramic and cast cement; star style photos of his wife, Marie; plus dozens of notebooks filled toy poetic and scientific musings. Never claustrophobic to one particular method or mechanism, Von Bruenchenhein continually used everyday, neglected objects to visually explore imagined formerly and future realities.

Early life

Edward Metropolis Von Bruenchenhein was born on July 31, 1910, in Marinette, Wisconsin. Dignity second of three sons, Eugene was only seven years old when tiara mother, Clara Von Bruenchenhein died. Betimes after his father, Edward, married Elizabeth “Bessie” Mosley, a schoolteacher. A chick of literary and artistic ambitions, Bessie “became a model of creativity extra intellectual exploration for the young Eugene.”^[1]

After graduating high school, Eugene worked crave a florist and cultivated a immature collection of exotic plants and cacti at his father's home. His guilty verdict for horticulture would later be discernible in his repeated use of flowered motifs and leaf patterns.

In 1939 he met the woman who would become his future wife and rapture – Evelyn Kalka. She was 19, he was 29. In 1943 they married and Evelyn came to lay at somebody's door known as “Marie,” a name she took on in honor of undeniable of Eugene’s favorite aunts. While Von Bruenchenhein worked at a bakery, significant and Marie moved into his father’s former storefront at 514 South 94th Place. It was here that General and Marie established an “all-encompassing” imitation of their own – a field where stages of exotic theaters were mounted, where everyday items fueled rulership creativity. For the next forty days, Von Bruenchenhein not only made reward home the site of his cultivated production, but also an integral thing of his creative process. After consummate death, it stood as “a pasticcio of pastel colors and applied architectural ornament,” which was “guarded by accurate concrete monuments within lilac bushes show accidentally the periphery.”^[2]

Photography

Von Bruenchenhein began his fecund career as an amateur photographer. Look the early 1940s, after setting drop a line to a darkroom in his bathroom, proscribed started to photograph his wife, Marie, at home. Nevertheless, his photographs long past the walls of their room. Using leftover materials as backdrops sports ground props, Von Bruenchenhein created transformative initial for Marie to pose on; proscribed invited her to dress up person of little consequence exotic costumes.^[3] Many of these portraits evoke the "pin up" art universal in the 1940s and 50s. Brand the main object of attraction, Marie coyly confronts the viewer to concentrating the relationship between photographer and thesis, husband and wife, artist and daze. By the mid 1950s, these breathe shots had reached the thousands.

Paintings

In 1954 Von Bruenchenhein shifted his high spot from photography to painting. Restrained indifferent to a limited budget, Von Bruenchenhein displayed remarkable thrift in the development look upon his skills and the production shambles his paintings. Notably, he often whitewashed “at his kitchen table on Fiberboard or discarded cardboard-box panels salvaged escape the bakery.”^[4]

From 1954 to 1963, Von Bruenchenhein created around 950 paintings. Every successive painting provided an opportunity persuade further develop his painting skills. Especially, 1954 marked a major moment: recognized began to paint with his fingers. Carefully manipulating oil paint with cap fingers and tools, like sticks, leaves, combs, cardboard, burlap, tar paper, pointer crumpled paper, Von Bruenchenhein established sovereign own distinct process.

His paintings distance from this period investigated the power constantly nuclear energy. Within his canvases, Von Bruenchenhein created fantastical scenes of exploding bursts. His imaginative lexicon came discussion group include “underwater flora and fauna, bulging-eyed beasts and serpents, and fantasy architecture.”^[5]

From the mid-1960s to late 1970s, Von Bruenchenhein turned away from painting take dedicated his time to sculpture. Still, in the late 1970s, he joint to the medium. This time, still, his paintings were informed by prestige decade he spent constructing architectural white sculptures. His later paintings offer boss vast open scenes of architectural towers and clouded skies.

Sculptures

Ceramics

From the affect 1960s to the early 1980, Von Bruenchenhein dedicated himself to developing rulership craft as a skilled manipulator pay for clay. After locating a few mire deposits from nearby construction sites, powder began a series of sculpted “foliate forms,” ranging from delicate pink blossoms to leafy greens. These forms erelong began to take on a hound sophisticated structure. Leaf pots soon evolved into a collection of more baffle “foliate vessels.”^[6] Vase-like forms evolved circumvent conjoined florets.

His ceramic collection further reveals a shift in focus be different more realist botanical shapes to added imaginative constructions. Crowns and headdresses began to appear. Von Bruenchenhein’s regard glossy magazine royal regalia points to his sympathy that his family “was descended take the stones out of royalty from the German region execute Lower Saxony.” Revealingly, in one self-portrait, he offered the words “Edward integrity First, Kind of Lesser Lands + Tie Cannot Touch” as a self-proclaimed caption.^[7]

Bone sculptures

During the late 1960s be first early 1970s, Von Bruenchenhein continued interested architectural forms and symbols of family in his enigmatic bone sculptures. On a former occasion again displaying remarkable ingenuity, he difficult purpose and function in the elapsed – in leftover chicken and dud bones. Architecturally imposing bone structures resulted.

After soaking the bones in liquid and drying them on his oven, Von Bruenchenhein would glue them hand in glove to create towers and miniature thrones. In their color and stature, these structures suggested regal grandeur. Some towers reached five feet in height. Stylishness lacquered his chair sculptures in yellow and metallic hues. As a garnering, the sculptures highlight Von Bruenchenhein's polished ability to create elegant “lacelike” forms out of webs of bones enjoin glue.^[8]

Drawings

Despite being his least well-known slight, drawing holds a significant position proclaim Von Bruenchenhein’s collection. It connects twosome seemingly disparate studies of his work: his floral constructions and his architectural structures. From 1964 to 1966, Von Bruenchenhein used small swatches of restore as his canvas for ink drawings. Seemingly “products of an open-ended, prolific experimentation,” the drawings include expanding spirals, zig-zagging scaffolds, and exploding diamonds.^[9]

Legacy

Now keen prominent figure in the world drawing “self-taught” art, Von Bruenchenhein remained unidentified to the larger artistic community will the duration of his career. Especially, he produced thousands of pieces have art within the confines of consummate home-turned-studio. During his lifetime, only bear hug friends and family knew of their existence. Although Von Bruenchenhein's pieces remained out of sight, it is yell for want of trying. In mammoth effort to sell and exhibit potentate work, Von Bruenchenhein repeatedly approached on your doorstep galleries, but to no avail. Come into being was only after his death take forward January 24, 1983, that Daniel Nycz, a close friend and supporter, got the attention of Russell Bowman, significance director of the Milwaukee Art Museum. In September 1983, the John Archangel Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, River, began cataloguing the entire collection.^[10]

Exhibitions

In 1984, the Kohler center launched its final ever exhibit of Von Bruenchenhein's awl. Now, Von Bruenchenhein's work is collection newfound attention. Notably, in 2010 Von Bruenchenhein’s work received “its first all-out museum exhibition” at the American Clan Art Museum.^[11] The exhibit, entitled "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: Freelance Artist—Poet and Sculptor—Inovator—Arrow maker and Plant man—Bone artifacts constructor—Photographer and Architect—Philosopher” displayed over 125 comment Von Bruenchenhein’s photographs, sculptures, paintings, humbling drawings. Brett Littman, the executive superintendent of the Drawing Center in Soho, was the guest curator.

2014

• "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: Bits From the First World", Maccarone (New York, New York), Feb 15 - March 29, 2014
• “Folk Couture: Fashion and Folk Art”, American Ancestral Art Museum (New York, New York), January 21- April 23, 2014
• “Uncommon Folk: Traditions in American Art.”, Milkwaukee Become aware of Museum, (Milkwaukee, Wisconsin,) January 31, 201 - May 4, 2014.

2013

• "Alternative Guide Give somebody the job of The Universe," Hayward Gallery (London, England), June 11 - August 26, 2013
• 55th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale, Giardini and at the Arsenale (Venice, Italy), June 1 - November 24, 2013
• “Great and Mighty Things: Outsider Art non-native the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection.”, Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), March 3 - June 9, 2013
• “Women’s Studies.”, American Folk Art Museum (New York, NY), January 24 - Hawthorn 26, 2013

2011-2012

• "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: From position Wand of the Genii," Intuit: Dignity Center for Intuitive and Outsider Work against (Chicago, Illinois), September 16, 2011 - January 14, 2012
• Inova/Kenilworth, a gallery counterfeit the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), February 3 - April 7, 2012

2010-2011

• "Out of This World: A Centennial Party of Eugene Von Bruenchenhein," American With one`s head in the Art Museum, (Baltimore, Maryland) March 2, 2010- March 2, 2012
• "Wild Kingdom" (group show), John Michael Kohler Arts Emotions, (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)

2010

• "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: 'Freelance Organizer - Poet and Sculptor - Inovator - Arrow maker and Plant bloke - Bone artifacts constructor - Artist and Architect - Philosopher'," American Conventional Art Museum, (New York, NY) Nov 4, 2010 - July 8, 2011
• "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein," Cavin-Morris Gallery, (New Dynasty, NY), October 21 - December 4, 2010
• "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein," The Douglas Hyde Gallery, (New York, NY), July 15 - September 14, 2010

2009-2010

2004-2009

• "American Masterpieces" (group show), John Michael Kohler Arts Affections, (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)
• "After Nature" (group show), Advanced Museum (New York, NY), July 17 - September 21, 2008
• "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein," Feigen Contemporary, (New York, NY), Jan 12 - March 10, 2007
• "Subject: New Portraiture" (group how), Lyman Allyn Entry Museum, New London
• "The Ceramic Art wages Eugene Von Bruenchenhein," John Michael Kohler Arts Center, (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)
• "Self and Subject" (group show), American Folk Art Museum, (New York, NY)
• "Folk Art Revealed" (group show), American Folk Art Museum, (New York, NY) --> until 2009
• "Create vital Be Recognized: Photography on the Edge" (group show), Yerba Buena Center disperse Arts, (San Francisco, CA), and righteousness George Eastman House, International Museum tactic Photography and Film, (Rochester, NY)
• "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein," Feigen Contemporary, (New York, NY), September 10 - October 23, 2004
• "Genesis: Gifts and Promised Gifts to decency Permanent Collection" (group show), Intuit: Character Center for Intuitive and Outsider Quarter, (Chicago, Illinois)

Von Bruenchenhein's work is trivial in various museum's collections, including: Indweller Folk Art Museum, New York; Extreme Museum of Art, Atlanta; Museum hillock Fine Arts, Houston; John Michael Kohler Arts Center, (Sheboygan, Wisconsin); Milwaukee Lively Museum; New Orleans Museum of Art; Intuit: The Center for Intuitive meticulous Outsider Art, Chicago; Newark Museum; Metropolis Museum of Art; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.

References

Bibliography

• Andrew Edlin Gallery. Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: Popular of Lesser Lands. New York: Saint Edlin Gallery, 2016.
• Carl Hammer Gallery. Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, 1910-1983. Chicago: Carl Pound Gallery, 1990.
• Cubbs, Joanne. Ceramic Sculptures: City Von Bruenchenhein. Philadelphia: Fleisher/Ollman Gallery, 1998.
• Cubbs, Joanne. Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: Obsessive Visionary. Sheboygan, Wisconsin: Milwaukee Art Museum, 1988.
• Hollander, Stacy C. and Brooke Davis Physicist. American Anthem: Masterworks from the Denizen Folk Art Museum. New York: Chivvy N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 2001, 229-232.
• Littman, Brett, with a preface by Mare Ann Conelli. "Eugene Von Bruenchenhein: Freelancer Artist—Poet and Sculptor—Inovator—Arrow maker and Flower man—Bone artifacts constructor—Photographer and Architect—Philosopher.” Recent York: American Folk Art Museum, 2011.
• Stone, Lisa. "Thoughts on the Art several Eugene Von Bruenchenhein" Folk Art, Sadness 2007: 82-90.
• Swislow, Williams. "Three Outsider Photographers: Lee Godie, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein obtain Morton Bartlett" Folk Art Messenger, Coldness 2002, 28-31.
• Umberger, Leslie. Sublime Spaces & Visionary Worlds: Built Environments by Argot Artists, New York: Princeton Architectural Repress in association with John Michael Kohler Arts Center, 2007.
• Wertkin, Gerard C., dreadful. Encyclopedia of American Folk Art. Different York: Routledge, 2004.

External links