 |
June 1997 |
 "Paul Gougin," a 1996 collograph by Karl Kasten |
Karl Kasten Retrospective 1938 - 1997 at the Mendocino Art Center |
| This promises to be a
banner year for Karl Kasten. In February he was the recipient of the Distinguished Artist
award for 1997 by the California Society of Etchers at a ceremony at the University of
California Art Museum. In recognition of this honor, the museum has installed a small
exhibition of his works in its collection. Also included is a large lithograph by Willem
de Kooning, which was created in 1968 in the University graphics studio at the invitation
of Kasten, then head of the printmaking program. Currently, a monoprint, Man, by Kasten is in the International Print Exhibition at the Portland Museum in Oregon. In March, he served as juror for the Pacific Edge Print Exhibition for the art center. In August, he will be the juror for the 1997 Janet Turner National Print Competition at Chico State University. This month, the Mendocino Art Center presents a retrospective exhibition of Karl Kasten's work in painting and printmaking, covering the years 1938 to the present. The retrospective will present a range of media: pastel, watercolor, gouache, pencil, egg tempera, oil, acrylic, lacquer, etching, engraving, drypoint, mezzotint, lithography, collography and monoprint. Karl received his A.B. and M.A. degrees in art at the University of California, Berkeley. As an undergraduate, he served as Art Editor for the Daily Californian, and designed the card stunts for the 1938 Rose Bowl game. |
He began his teaching career at the
California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute) in 1941. He served as
a captain in World War II (in 1996 he was given the medal of the city of Rennes for his
service in Europe). Following the war, he taught at the University of Michigan and at San
Francisco State University, where he initiated the program in printmaking. In 1950, he
joined the faculty at UC Berkeley, where he also initiated the program in printmaking and
the study of art materials and techniques. He became Professor Emeritus in 1983.
Karl's work in painting and printmaking is in major public and private collections internationally, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Musee des Beaux Arts in Brittany and the Auckland City Museum in New Zealand. Today, at 81, he lives in Berkeley where he works in his studio. He is writing a series of essays, which may form a memoir to be titled War and Art, 1987-1997. Three video tapes dealing with his work have been published by the North Light Studio, Elk, CA. |
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