Biography of Tom Wesselmann
One of the giants of New York Pop Art, Tom Wesselmann came to prominence with the highly saturated tones and masterful compositions of his Great American Nudes series, returning again to the female form in later years. Fusing an awareness of the advertising of the time and the visual presentation of sex symbols such as Marilyn Monroe with classical representations of the nude, Wesselmann’s incisive work is both bold and luscious, its shining colors and striking forms firmly securing the artist’s place alongside Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. True to the edicts of Pop, Wesselmann’s still life works incorporate everyday objects in bright collages and assemblages, rendered in his trademark hues and stylized shapes.
Born in 1931, Tom Wesselmann exhibited widely during his lifetime, notably at the MoMA and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. He also participated in the 43rd Venice Biennale in 1988. After his death in 2004, Wesselmann’s work continues to be shown internationally; at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2012, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, in 2013, and at the Denver Art Museum and the Cincinnati Art Museum in 2014.
