Robert Kulicke
Encyclopedia
Robert Moore Kulicke was an American
artist
, frame
maker, and teacher
. Though most influential for modernizing the design of picture frames, he was also a noted painter
of small and delicate still lifes, as well as a jewellery maker credited with reviving the ancient goldsmithing technique of granulation
.
.
Returning home after serving three years in the Army
during World War II
, he became interested in picture framing. Prior to opening his own framing business in New York City
in 1951, he traveled to Paris
on the G.I. Bill, studied painting with Fernand Léger
, and apprenticed himself to several framers.
In New York he befriended the Abstract Expressionists Franz Kline
and Robert Motherwell
, and designed frames based on a simple band of polished aluminum that would be used on hundreds of works by these and other Modernists. The "Kulicke frame", a tasteful welded design, was commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art
in 1956 for use in traveling exhibitions; he subsequently also designed a Lucite frame for the museum's photography collection. A floating frame he created in the late 1950s was used by the Modern on some of its most popular masterpieces after the museum's expansion in 1984. For these widely-imitated designs, The New York Times referred to Kulicke as "the most innovative and influential picture frame designer in the United States". The scope of his craftsmanship was extensive, and his reproduction frames have been used on Leonardo da Vinci
's portrait of Ginevra de' Benci
in the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C.
, and the Epiphany by Giotto in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
.
Discouraged by Léger's emphasis on large compositions, Kulicke stopped painting until 1957, when he was called on to frame some 300 small still life paintings by Giorgio Morandi
. Inspired by Morandi's work, his own paintings were diminutive studies, often of flowers or a single fruit. His works, which he described as "more 17th century than 20th", were exhibited in museums and several New York galleries. His work is represented in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
.
In 1968 he perfected the granulation technique which had been practiced from antiquity to the 11th century, and used sporadically thereafter, which he then taught to others in jewellery making workshops and academies he founded.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, frame
Picture frame
A picture frame is a decorative edging for a picture, such as a painting or photograph, intended to enhance it, make it easier to display, or protect it.-Construction:...
maker, and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. Though most influential for modernizing the design of picture frames, he was also a noted painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
of small and delicate still lifes, as well as a jewellery maker credited with reviving the ancient goldsmithing technique of granulation
Granulation
Granulation can refer to:*Granulation is the act or process of forming or crystallizing into grains*Granulation tissue, a product of healing in major wounds;*Granular synthesis, a sound synthesis method;...
.
Life
Kulicke was born in Philadelphia, where his formal studies included advertising design at the Philadelphia College of Art, while independently he studied the art collections of the Philadelphia Museum of ArtPhiladelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
.
Returning home after serving three years in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he became interested in picture framing. Prior to opening his own framing business in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1951, he traveled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on the G.I. Bill, studied painting with Fernand Léger
Fernand Léger
Joseph Fernand Henri Léger was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of Cubism which he gradually modified into a more figurative, populist style...
, and apprenticed himself to several framers.
In New York he befriended the Abstract Expressionists Franz Kline
Franz Kline
Franz Jozef Kline was an American painter mainly associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement centered around New York in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended Girard College, an academy in Philadelphia for fatherless boys...
and Robert Motherwell
Robert Motherwell
Robert Motherwell American painter, printmaker and editor. He was one of the youngest of the New York School , which also included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Philip Guston....
, and designed frames based on a simple band of polished aluminum that would be used on hundreds of works by these and other Modernists. The "Kulicke frame", a tasteful welded design, was commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in 1956 for use in traveling exhibitions; he subsequently also designed a Lucite frame for the museum's photography collection. A floating frame he created in the late 1950s was used by the Modern on some of its most popular masterpieces after the museum's expansion in 1984. For these widely-imitated designs, The New York Times referred to Kulicke as "the most innovative and influential picture frame designer in the United States". The scope of his craftsmanship was extensive, and his reproduction frames have been used on Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
's portrait of Ginevra de' Benci
Ginevra de' Benci
Ginevra de' Benci was an aristocrat from 15th-century Florence, admired for her intelligence by Florentine contemporaries. She is the subject of a portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci...
in the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and the Epiphany by Giotto in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
.
Discouraged by Léger's emphasis on large compositions, Kulicke stopped painting until 1957, when he was called on to frame some 300 small still life paintings by Giorgio Morandi
Giorgio Morandi
Giorgio Morandi was an Italian painter and printmaker who specialized in still life. His paintings are noted for their tonal subtlety in depicting apparently simple subjects, which were limited mainly to vases, bottles, bowls, flowers, and landscapes.-Biography:Giorgio Morandi was born in Bologna...
. Inspired by Morandi's work, his own paintings were diminutive studies, often of flowers or a single fruit. His works, which he described as "more 17th century than 20th", were exhibited in museums and several New York galleries. His work is represented in the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is an art museum located in Delaware Park in Buffalo, New York. The gallery is a major showplace for modern art and contemporary art. It is located directly across the street from Buffalo State College.-History:...
.
In 1968 he perfected the granulation technique which had been practiced from antiquity to the 11th century, and used sporadically thereafter, which he then taught to others in jewellery making workshops and academies he founded.