Kupka, Frantisek

PAINTER (AUSTRIAN EMPIRE)
BORN 23 Sep 1871, Opocno, Bohemia - DIED 21 Jun 1957, Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine
GRAVE LOCATION Paris: Père Lachaise, Rue du Repos 16 (division 87 (columbarium, case 22696))

Frantisek Kupka studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague from 1889 to 1892. He was influenced by Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach and in 1894 he exhibited in Vienna at the Kunstverein. In that year he settled in Paris where he studied with Jean-Pierre Laurens (1875-1932) at the École des Beaux-Arts. In Paris he met Duchamp, Delaunay and Léger. He was influanced by Easter philosophy and spiritualism and created symbolist works.

Early in his career he mainly earned his money as an illustrator. In 1906 he settled in the suburb Puteaux. In 1909 he was influecned by the Futirist Manifesto and his work became increasingly abstract. He was a volunteer in the First World War but he had to leave the front because of frostbite in his foot.

Between 1919 and 1938 his friend Jindrich Waldes supported him financially and bought many of his works. In 1931 he was one of the founding members of the artists association Abstraction-Création. In the 1950s he was so well known that several solo exhibitions took place in New York. He died in 1957 in Puteaux. After his death his widow Eugénie donated 50 of his works to the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris.

Related persons
• knew Duchamp, Marcel
• knew Léger, Fernand

Images

The grave of Frantisek Kupka at Père Lachaise, Paris.
Picture by Androom (02 Nov 2018)

 

Sources
Les Peintres de l'âme, Snoeck-Ducaju, Gent, 1999
Schilderkunst van A tot Z, REBO, Lisse, 1990
František Kupka - Wikipedia


Küppers, Albert

Published: 12 Jun 2021
Last update: 12 Jun 2021