International architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) will be presenting a selection of Chairman and Founder A. Eugene Kohn’s watercolors at The Galleries at 153 East 53rd Street in New York City this summer. Opening on Monday, July 2nd and on view through the end of August, the exhibition will feature highlights of Kohn’s work from the 1950’s through today.
Kohn paints primarily in watercolor with a range of subjects – cityscapes, landscapes, still life and abstract. Much of his work is done when he travels in foreign countries, and he frequently gives them as gifts or donates them to charity auctions. His watercolors have previously been displayed at the Guggenheim Museum in a show for the works of well-known architects, as well as an exhibition in Hong Kong last year, and are shown at Belgravia Gallery in London. Kohn’s fascination with painting began when he was a young boy sitting by his mother’s side while she painted. Hannah Kohn was an accomplished painter in her own right, and also had a show at the Guggenheim Museum on the occasion of her 100th birthday.
According to Kohn, “It’s not about being an artist – painting is something that I delight in and do purely for the joy of it. I paint to relax and to express strong feelings about certain subjects. A building can take five to ten years to complete, while a watercolor can be done in a few hours.”
Gallery owner Meredith Ward adds, "Gene Kohn’s watercolors have an elegant simplicity. He uses the unique qualities of the medium to greatest advantage by approaching his subjects with a minimum of means. A few quick strokes convey the energy of a bustling cityscape; a broad wash of color suggests the vastness of sea and sky."
The opening of the exhibition coincides with the firm’s 36th anniversary. KPF was founded by Kohn, William Pedersen, and Sheldon Fox in New York on July 4th, 1976. With over 550 employees, the firm is headquartered in the historic 11 West 42nd Street building, overlooking Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. +
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2015
From technician to rainmaker: Making the leap in your career
Many AEC firms focus on training for the hard skills of the profession, not so much for business prowess, writes BD+C's David Barista.
Modular Building | Jan 21, 2015
Chinese company 3D prints six-story multifamily building
The building components were prefabricated piece by piece using a printer that is 7 meters tall, 10 meters wide, and 40 meters long.
| Jan 21, 2015
Tesla Motors starts construction on $5 billion battery plant in Nevada
Tesla Motors’ “gigafactory,” a $5 billion project on 980 acres in Sparks, Nev., could annually produce enough power for 500,000 electric cars.
| Jan 20, 2015
Daring hotel design scheme takes the shape of cut amethyst stone
The Dutch practice NL Architects designed a proposal for a chain of hotels shaped like a rock cut in half to reveal a gemstone inside.
| Jan 20, 2015
Avery Associates unveils plans for London's second-tallest tower
The 270-meter tower, dubbed the No. 1 Undershaft, will stand next to the city's "Cheesegrater" building.
| Jan 20, 2015
AIA course: Building with brick, stone, and masonry
Earn 1.0 AIA/CES learning units by studying this article and successfully completing the online exam.
| Jan 19, 2015
HAO unveils designs for a 3D movie museum in China
New York-based HAO has released designs for the proposed Bolong 3D Movie Museum & Mediatek in Tianjin.
| Jan 19, 2015
Gaudi’s first work outside Spain will be a chapel in Chile
Nearly 100 years after Antoni Gaudí’s death, Chile will begin constructing a chapel using his designs.
| Jan 19, 2015
Architecture for Humanity closes office, plans to file for bankruptcy
After more than 15 years of work, the nonprofit design group Architecture for Humanity has closed its San Francisco office and plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
| Jan 19, 2015
Four Seasons tower will be Boston's tallest
On Jan. 14, 2015, developer Carpenter & Company and executives from the Four Seasons broke ground on the Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences, which will become the tallest building in Boston at 699 feet.