Robert

Natkin

Robert Natkin was born in Chicago in 1930. He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he was inspired and influenced by the collection of Post-Impressionist paintings. From outside of the geographical circle of the New York School, Natkin encountered Abstract Expressionism via an article in Life Magazine in 1949. By 1952 he had moved to New York, though this stay was brief and followed by several years living and working back in Chicago. In 1959 he returned to New York, and shortly after was included in the Young America exhibit at The Whitney Museum of American Art. Over the years, Natkin’s work progressed through eras of bright-paletted Abstract Expressionism, grid- and symmetry-focused non-objective works, hard-edge abstraction, and eventually his own brand of abstract composition, incorporating stencils, layering, and diverse marks and swathes made with a variety of tools. He and his family moved to Connecticut in 1970, and he continued to paint prolifically, also regularly writing and lecturing on art criticism.