'Still Life of Fruit' by Alex Minewski, Grande Chaumiere, Hans Hofmann, New York Art Students League, Monhegan, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

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Signed lower right, 'A. Minewski' for Alexander Minewski (American, 1917-1979) and painted circa 1950.

Born in Detroit, Alexander Minewski left … Read more Signed lower right, 'A. Minewski' for Alexander Minewski (American, 1917-1979) and painted circa 1950.

Born in Detroit, Alexander Minewski left home at the age of 14 to work in the circus. He subsequently worked as a sign painter and a logger. Minewski first studied at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Detroit (1936-1939) and received scholarships that allowed him to attend the Art Students League in New York City (1939-1942). There, he studied under artists including Jean Charlot, Ernest Fiene, George Grosz and Vaclav Vytlacil.

During World War II, Minewski joined the army and fought as a combat engineer. Wounded in Burma while fighting with Merrill's Marauders, he spent two years there recovering from his wounds. Following his time in Burma, Minewski studied for two years on the G.I. Bill in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere (1950-1952) and, independently, with Hans Hofmann in New York City (1952-1953). Hofmann was influential on his style and his work shifted away from a moody realism towards a fuller expressionism.

In 1954, Minewski began spending his summers at the artist’s colony in Monhegan Island, Maine. While there, he was able to work and collaborate with other artists and friends such as Ted Davis whom he met in Burma. In 1971, he was awarded a research grant to study the sea life on the Maine coast and, therefore, fish often served as the subjects of his paintings. While working on Monhegan Island, he met his future wife, Natalie, who was a graphic designer, book designer and etcher.

Minewski exhibited widely and with success including at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art (1949), Butler Institute of American Art (1957), Columbia Museum of Art (1957), National Academy of Design, Detroit Institute of Art (1946, solo) with the Michigan Artists group (1937-1939, 1945-1947), the National Society of Painters in Casein (1955, 1956) and the Audubon Artists (1947-1948) among others. He was the recipient of a prizes, honors and juried awards including a Purchase Prize from the Detroit Institute of Art (1939), the Tiffany Fellowship (1960), an honorable mention from the American Society of Casein Painters (1964) and the Ball State Drawing Show (1969). In 1966, Minewski was appointed Professor of Art at State University of New York at New Paltz and became a much-loved faculty member. He was also a member of the Woodstock Art Association and his works can be found in private and public collections including the permanent collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Detroit Institute of Art.

“I have tried to stress the conceptual value of things ‘seen’, rather than simply what the eye ‘looks at.’ Through inner force I hope to develop the physical image. By avoiding the picturesque, I want to reach beyond the image alone. The work, in the end, must speak for itself. Painting should be an expression of life’s experiences.” -Alex Minewski

Reference:
Who Was Who in American Art 1564-1975: 400 Years of Artists in America, Peter Hastings Falk, Sound View Press 1999, Vol. 2, page 2292; Minewski, Natalie. Personal Interview. March 2001; Alexander Minewski Retrospective. New Paltz, New York: College Art Gallery, State University College, 1979; Curtis, June and Will, and Frank Liberman. Monhegan: The Artists' Island. Camden, Maine: Down East Books, 1995; Information provided by Ronald Wells; et al. See less