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Richard Anuszkiewicz
Born May 23, 1930
Erie, Pennsylvania
Died May 19, 2020
Nationality American
Education Cleveland Institute of Art, Yale University School of Art
Movement Op Art

Richard Joseph Anuszkiewicz (May 23, 1930 – May 19, 2020) was an American artist. He was known for his paintings, prints, and sculptures. Anuszkiewicz was a very important artist in the Op Art movement. This art style uses colors and shapes to create optical illusions.

Life and Art Journey

Richard Anuszkiewicz was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. His parents were immigrants from Poland. He first learned about art from his high school teacher, Joseph Plavcan. Richard later said this teacher was his biggest influence.

He studied art at the Cleveland Institute of Art from 1948 to 1953. After that, he went to the Yale University School of Art. There, he studied with a famous artist named Josef Albers from 1953 to 1955. He earned his master's degree from Yale.

Richard Anuszkiewicz was a key artist in the Op Art movement. This art style became popular in the late 1960s. Other famous Op Art artists were Victor Vasarely and Bridget Riley. In 1964, Life magazine called him "one of the new wizards of Op." This shows how important his work was.

A art critic from New York Times once described his paintings. He said the paintings had a "drama" from the way colors worked together. He noted that the shapes seemed to glow as if light was coming from behind them. Anuszkiewicz's art has been shown in major art events around the world. These include the Venice Biennale and Documenta. His artworks are also in many permanent museum collections. He became a member of the National Academy of Design in 1994.

His Unique Art Style

Johnson Fulbright Square Circle
U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson and U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright look at "Squaring the Circle," a painting by Richard Anuszkiewicz, in 1965.

Anuszkiewicz loved to explore how colors change what we see. He used bright, strong colors next to each other. He often painted geometric shapes, like squares, that seemed to move or glow. His art focused on how colors and shapes create optical effects.

Many of his artworks used nested square forms. This was similar to the work of his teacher, Josef Albers. Albers experimented with how different colors looked next to each other. Anuszkiewicz took these ideas and developed them even further. He continued to create art in the Op Art style throughout his career.

In 1963, Anuszkiewicz explained his art. He said his work was about how bright, opposite colors look when placed side by side. He also studied how light affects colors and the overall look of his art.

Where You Can See His Art

Many museums around the world have Richard Anuszkiewicz's artworks in their collections. Here are some of them:

Awards and Honors

Richard Anuszkiewicz received many awards for his art:

  • 1953: Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship
  • 1963: Charles of the Ritz Oil Painting Award
  • 1964: The Silvermine Guild Award for Oil Painting
  • 1977: Cleveland Arts Prize
  • 1980: Hassam Fund Purchase Award
  • 1988: Hassam Fund Purchase Award
  • 1994: New York State Art Teachers' Association Award
  • 1995: Emil and Dines Carlson Award
  • 1996: New Jersey Pride Award
  • 1997: Richard Florsheim Fund Grant
  • 2000: Lee Krasner Award
  • 2005: Lorenzo dei Medici Career Award, given at the Florence Biennale

Art Shows and Exhibitions

Anuszkiewicz's art was shown in many public collections worldwide. He also had shows at galleries in New York, like Sidney Janis and the Andrew Crispo Gallery. Here are some of his exhibitions:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Richard Anuszkiewicz para niños

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