Study for Harry Kari Arms Exchange

Karl WirsumWW-1971-037852

1971·Brush and pen and black ink, colored crayons, blue and black ballpoint pens, and graphite on ivory wove paper·45.7 × 61 cm (18 × 24 1/16 in.)

Catalogue

Year: 1971
Medium: Brush and pen and black ink, colored crayons, blue and black ballpoint pens, and graphite on ivory wove paper
Dimensions: 45.7 × 61 cm (18 × 24 1/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Karl Wirsum

Artist

Karl Wirsum

Drawing

Karl Wirsum was an American painter and printmaker known for his exuberant, cartoonish figuration and bold graphic surfaces. Working primarily in acrylic and ink from the 1960s onward, his compositions featured distorted human faces and bodies rendered in acid colors and thick outlines, rooted in Chicago's postwar artistic traditions. His work merged commercial graphic design sensibilities with fine art ambition, creating a visual language that anticipated aspects of later Pop and Figurative movements.

Chicago, IL, USA

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