Introduction:
Wayne Thiebaud is a highly acclaimed and influential American painter popular for his cartoon-like realism. His work is characterized by heavily outlined figures and objects painted in thick bands of dazzling color. Few renowned modern American artists achieved his level of notoriety during the 20th century and even now – he is still frequently referenced. With such fame comes numerous interesting facts about his life. Read on to learn 15 interesting facts about Wayne Thiebaud!
Fact 1: He Started His Career as a Cartoonist
Though he was born to a family of commissary clerks at a military base, Thiebaud had a knack for the arts from a young age. As a child, he became fascinated with the attraction of art created by Mickey Mouse comic books and newspaper cartoon strips. His entry into the art world was as a staff cartoonist and designer with Walt Disney studios in California which gave him the steady paycheck he desired yet lacked the creative flexibility he craved.
Fact 2: He Pursued Education in Casual Teaching Sectors
After leaving his early venture into the cartoon industry, Thiebaud began working and teaching in various classroom settings—Warehouse Markets and Forest Lawn Memoirals—where he gained formal education in the fine arts. His hand-on teaching approached moved him away from the linear realism styles posed by his earlier cartooning experience.
Fact 3: Military Service Interrupted At art Education Path
Thiebaud was drafted into the military in June 1943, where he was obliged to do drafting work for the Navy, propagating his interest in the arts. After his $200-a-month stint at the Naval Air Station in El Centro, California – Thiebaud went on to pursue a career in art in San Francisco. During this time he attended classes at The California School of Fine Arts, San Francisco State College and Sacramento City College.
Fact 4: He Taught Art for 5 Decades
Wayne Thiebaud started his career as an art teacher shortly after completing his formal studies. He taught at various colleges and universities over the course of the following five decades. From the mid-1950s until the late 1960s, he taught art part-time at the University of California Davis and San Jose State University. He was a professor of Art at Sacramento State University from 1960 to 1990, where he inaugurated the “Wayne Thiebaud Chair of Art.”
Fact 5: His Infatuation with Popular Culture
Thiebaud’s artistic career was heavily inspired by the recognizable faces of popular culture and consumerism. His signature thick outlined pictures of cakes, pies and other sugary confections as well as candy stands were an omnipresent element in his artworks. His career-defining creations are identified with the Pop Art movement popularized in the New York City art scene during the 1960s in the United States.
Fact 6: He Painted Large-Scale Murals
Apart from canvas, Thiebaud created murals that stood in the lobby of misplaced buildings in San Francisco. These cultural masterpieces included a bear, a lion, a white house, and a lawyer. Several artists replicated and re-used Thiebaud’s murals, which were documented in several journals of the era.
Fact 7: He Painted Portraits for Hollywood Fame and Fortune
In between stints as a professional cartoonist, muralist and Art Academy Professor, Thiebaud also took on the challenge of painting portraits of some of Hollywood’s elite as well as local politicians. His subjects included a youngElizabeth Taylor, actor Bobby Driscoll, and album producer Gene Autry, amongst others.
Fact 8: He Won Numerous Awards and Honours
Thiebaud racked up numerous awards and recognitions for his illustrious career. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1979, given the Order of the Crown of Belgium in 1980, awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1982, and was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1985.
Fact 9: He Was Listed as One of the Richest Painters in America
In 2011, Thiebaud was listed as one of the richest painters in America, with a possible net worth of over $90 million. His works have sold for millions at auction houses like Christies amongst others.
Fact 10: He Is Still Alive
Thiebaud is currently 99 years old and still engages in creative dialogue about his art. At 99, he is the oldest living pop art painter in the world. Even though he’s now confined to a wheelchair, he still frequents the contemporary art galleries in San Francisco.
Fact 11: He Is a Member of Several Professional Artist Organizations
Thiebaud is a member of several professional artist organizations including the Artist’s Choice Museum, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the National Academy of Design. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Fact 12: His Best Work Was Painted From Memory
Much of Thiebaud’s best work came from his ability to recall and reinterpret his past experiences. To create his stunning pieces, he used memories of ice cream parlors, diners and staple foods.
Fact 13: He Had an Omnipresent Influence on American Art
From the 1950s onward, Thiebaud’s influence on American art was seen through hyperrealism, crisp line painting, and vivid colors. His compositions are highly sought after for their delicate yet alive layering of details.
Fact 14: His Work is Still Relevant Today
Thiebaud’s works still retain their influence and importance even today. His work is widely held in many public and private collections, and his art remains popular in the market. He is oft-referenced in current art discourse, and his paintings continue to be displayed in galleries across the world.
Fact 15: He Had Exhibitions at the Guggenheim and MoMa
Thiebaud was the subject of numerous exhibitions, including two solo exhibitions at the Guggenheim Museum in 1968 and MoMA in 1970. In 2017, numerous works by Thiebaud were collected and displayed in an exhibition,entitled “Wayne Thiebaud: 1958-1968” at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Conclusion
Wayne Thiebaud was a highly influential artist who was able to take traditional elements of art and flip them on their head. With his iconic line-drawing painting-style, he combined elements from his past experiences with a splash of color and cartoon-like visual elements to create his distinct style. From his military service to his infatuation with popular culture, there is no doubt that Wayne Thiebaud is a fascinating artist who has left an expansive impact on the world of art.
Subscribe to our email newsletter to get the latest posts delivered right to your email.
Comments