1920 - 2007
American
Respite
acrylic on board
signed and dated 1986 and on verso signed and titled on the label
20 x 28 in, 50.8 x 71.1 cm
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD
Sold for: $181,250
Preview at:
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Ontario
EXHIBITED
Colorado Historical Society, Denver
A pre-eminent American wildlife artist, Robert F. Kuhn began to observe and draw animals while visiting the Buffalo Zoo as a boy. In his late teens he studied design, anatomy and life drawing at the renowned Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. He was mentored by Paul Bransom, a leading animal illustrator of the day, known for his work on Jack London’s 1903 adventure novel Call of the Wild.
This was the golden age of illustration, when magazine editors relied on illustrators to bring stories to life and entice readers with compelling cover art. In the decades after World War II, Kuhn became well known for his wildlife illustrations, which appeared in many publications, among them Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Sports Afield. He had the opportunity to travel to Alaska and on safari to Africa. Enthralled by the African continent’s vast landscapes and big game animals, he journeyed there multiple times.
At the age of 50, Kuhn turned to easel painting exclusively, blending his keen observations of nature with the techniques of contemporary colour-field artists to break new ground in wildlife painting. After moving from Connecticut to Arizona in 1996, he belonged to a small group of artists known as the Tucson Seven. Known for its precise and yet poetic style, his art has been exhibited by key galleries and museums, among them the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Society of Illustrators, in New York City. Kuhn’s paintings can also be found in public collections, including the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
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