Biography

TOM WESSELMANN

 

Born: 1931, Cincinnati, Ohio

Died: 2004, New York City, New York

 

EDUCATION

 

1956       University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

1959       Cooper Union, New York, NY

 

 

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

 

2016      Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York, NY

              Tom Wesselmann Collages 1959-1964¸David Zwirner, London, UK

2015                Beyond Pop Art: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective, The Cincinnati Art Museum, traveling to the Denver Art Museum and the Dallas Museum of Art

2013       Tom Wesselmann Retrospective, Virginia Museum of Fine Art, USA

               Tom Wesselmann, Galerie Thomas Modern, Munich, Germany

               Tom Wesselmann, Alan Cristea Gallery, London, UK

2012       Tom Wesselmann Retrospective: Beyond Pop-Art, Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Canada

               Tom Wesselmann, Galerie de Bellefeuille, Montreal, Canada

               Tom Wesselmann, David Janis Gallery, New York, USA

               Objects of Desire, Davidson Contemporary, New York, USA

2011       Tom Wesselmann Draws, The Kreeger Museum, Washington, USA

2010       David Janis Gallery, New York, USA

               Tom Wesselmann, Works, 1958 – 2004, Haunch of Vension, London, UK

               Tom Wesselmann, Flowers, Galerie Klaus Benden, Cologne, Germany

               Tom Wesselmann, Plastic Works, Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, USA

               Tom Wesselmann Draws, Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

2009       Journey into the Landscape-steelcuts, Galerie Thomas, Munich, Germany

               Tom Wesselmann: Pictures on the wall of your heart, Städtische Galerie

               Ravensburg, Germany Tom Wesselmann draws, Haunch of Venison, New

               York, USA

               Tom Wesselmann-Works on Paper, Burkhard Eikelmann Classics, Düsseldorf, Germany

2008                Tom Wesselmann, Faces 1963-1993, Galerie Benden & Klimczak, Cologne & Viersen, Germany

               Tom Wesselmann, Journeys into the Landscape, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK

               Tom Wesselmann –Pop Art, Städtische Galerie Ravensburg, Ravensburg, Germany

               Tom Wesselmann,Mitterrand and CramerFine Art, Geneva, Switzerland

               Tom Wesselmann,Sala Pelaires, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

2007       Tom Wesselmann: Drop-Out, Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, USA

               Tom Wesselmann, Columns Gallery, Seoul, South Korea

               Dessins, gouaches, maquettes et peintures, JGM Galerie, Paris, France

               Tom Wesselmann–Nudes, LipanjePutin Artecontemporanea, Rome, Italy

2006       Tom Wesselmann: Liquitex –drawings -Steelcuts,

               Andipa Gallery, London, UK

               Tom Wesselmann, Galerie Thomas, Munich, Germany

               Tom Wesselmann –Abstracts 1997-2002, Galerie Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany

Tom Wesselmann -Works from 1960 to 2004, Galerie Hafenrichter & Flügel, Nürnberg, Germany

               Tom Wesselmann, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, USA

               Tom Wesselmann –The Sixties, L&M Arts, New York, USA

               Tom Wesselmann, Galerie Hass & Fuchs, Berlin, Germany

               Blue Nudes 1999-2001, Galerie Benden & Klimczak, Cologne, Germany

2005       Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma (MACRO), Rome, Italy

               Work on paper: Retrospective, Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, USA

2004      Tom Wesselmann: Works on Paper: Retrospective 1960-2004, Maxwell Davidson Gallery New York, USA

Marcel Strouk / Galerie Rive Gauche, Paris, France

Tom Wesselmann, Galerie Benden & Klimczak, Viersen, Germany

2003      Tom Wesselmann: Black Metal Work, Galerie Benden & Klimczak, Cologne, Germany Tom Wesselmann, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, USA

University of California, Long Beach, USA

Galleria Flora Bigai, Venice, Italy

2002       Works on Paper, Galerie Benden & Klimczak, Viersen, Germany

2001       Paintings and Metal Works, Galerie Benden & Klimczak, Viersen, Germany

2000       Tom Wesselmann: Blue Nudes, Joseph Helman Gallery, New York, USA

               Tom Wesselmann, JGM Galerie Paris, France

               Abstract Maquettes, Galerie Benden & Klimczak, Cologne, Germany

1999                Tom Wesselmann: Small Survey: Small Scale, Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York,USA Wesselmann : Maquettes and Nude Cut-Outs, Gallery Camino Real, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

1998      Wetterling Gallery Stockholm, Sweden Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany

              Tom Wesselmann, Galerie Benden & Klimczak, Cologne, Germany

1996      Larger than Life: Two Paintings by Tom Wesselmann, Palau de la Virreina, Barcelona, Spain

              Tom Wesselmann Lasers and Lithos, Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, USA Paper Maquettes, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

              Tom Wesselmann: A Survey (1959-1995), Fred Hoffman Gallery, Santa Monica, USA Tom Wesselmann, Wetterling Teo Gallery, Singapore Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York, USA

1995      Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

              Larger than Life: Two Paintings by Tom Wesselamnn, Kunsthal, Rotterdam Tom Wesselmann, Gallery Camino Real, Boca Raton, Florida, USA

1994      Tom Wesselmann: Recent Works, Galerie Beatrice Wassermann, Munich, Germany Travelling retrospective (1959-1993), Institut für Kulturaustausch, Tübingen, Germany touring to Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels,Belgium, Altes Museum, Berlin, Museum Villa Stuck, Munich, Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer, Germany, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Netherlands, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, France, Fundación Juan March, Madrid, Palais de la Virreina, Barcelona,Spain, Culturgest, Lisbon, Portugal and the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, Nice, France

1993      Tom Wesselmann: New Cut Outs and Drawings, Wassermann Galerie Munich, Germany New Metal Paintings, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

              Tom Wesselmann: A Retrospective Survey 1959-1992, Shimbun Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo, touring to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sapporo, the Museum of Modern Art, Shiga, and the Museum of Art, Kintetsu, Japan

1991      Tom Wesselmann: Black and Gray, Edward Totah Gallery, London, UK

              Tom Wesselmann: Recent Still Life and Landscape, Galerie Tokoro, Tokyo, Japan

1990      Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

              Tom Wesselmann: Laser Nudes, Studio Trisorio, Naples, Italy

              Wesselmann: Graphics/Multiples Retrospective 1964-1990, Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, USA

1989      Blum Helman Gallery, Santa Monica, USA Galerie Joachim Backer, Cannes, France

1988      Wesselmann Recent Works, Tokoro Gallery, Tokyo, Japan Mayor Gallery, London, UK Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

              Tom Wesselmann Retrospective: Graphics & Multiples, Stein Bartlow Gallery, Chicago, USA (travelling exhibition)

1987      Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA Queens Museum, Flushing, New York, USA

              Galerie Esperanza, Montreal, Canada Galerie de France, Paris, France

              The Cooper Union, New York, USA

1986      Cut-Outs, Galerie Denise René Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, Germany

1985      Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

1983      New work by Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

1982      Recent Work by Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

              The Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

1980      New Sculpture and Painting by Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

1979      Galerie Serge di Bloe, Brussels, Belgium Ehrlich Gallery, New York, USA

1977       American Art since 1945, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA

1978      Tom Wesselmann: Graphics 1964-1977, The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Boston, USA

1976      Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA Galleria Giò Marconi, Milan, Italy

1974      Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA Galerie des Quatre Mouvements, Paris, France Wesselmann: The Early Collages 1959-1962, California State University, Long Beach, California, USA

1972      Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA Galerie Aronowitsch, Stockholm, Sweden

1971      Jack Glenn Gallery, Corona del Mar, California, USA

1970      Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA Early Still Lifes 1962-1964, Newport Harbor Art Museum, California, USA

1968      Retrospective, Dayton’s Gallery, Minneapolis, USA Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, USA

              An Exhibition of New Work by Tom Wesselmann, Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

1967      Ileana Sonnabend Gallery, Paris, France Dayton's Gallery, Minneapolis, USA

1966      Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

1962      Green Gallery, New York, USA

              Tanager Gallery, New York, USA

1960      Judson Gallery, New York, USA

1959      Judson Gallery, New York, USA

 

 

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

 

Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, Austria

Kaiser-Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany

Museum fur Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main National Galerie, Berlin, Germany

Neue Galerie, Aachen Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany

Musée d’Art et d’Industrie, St. Etienne, France

Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain (MAMAC), Nice, France

Berardo Collection, Lisbon, Portugal

SMuseo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid, Spain

Hakone Open Air Museum, Hakone, Japan

Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan

The Hiroshima Profectural Museum of Art, Hiroshima, Japan

Iwaki City Museum of Modern Art, Iwaki, Japan

Kawamura Museum of Art The Museum of Modern Art, Shiga, Japan

The Museum of Modern Art, Tokushima, Japan

Museum of Modern Art, Toyama, Japan

Artsonje Museum of Contemporary Art Kyungju City, South Korea

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia, USA

Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas, USA

Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture, Washington, D.C., USA

MOMA, New York Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Princeton University of Art, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Washington D.C., USA

Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

 

Tom Wesselmann was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 23, 1931. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Cincinnati in 1956, Wesselmann moved to New York City to pursue his interests in fine art. After graduating from Cooper Union in 1959, Wesselmann went on to become one of the leading American Pop artists of the 1960s rejecting abstract expressionism in favor of the classical representations of the nude, still life, and landscape. He created collages and assemblages incorporating everyday objects and advertising ephemera in an effort to make images as powerful as the abstract expressionism he admired. He is perhaps best known for his Great American Nude series with their flat forms and intense colors. Wesselmann worked in New York City for more than four decades. He lived in New York City with his wife, Claire, daughters Jenny and Kate, and son Lane. He died there on December 17, 2004.