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Robert M. Kulicke 1924-2007

Yellow, Purple and Pink Flowers in a Glass Vase Against a Black Background, c. 1960.

Robert Kulicke died last Friday from pneumonia. He was 83.

Kulicke is probably best known for his aluminum and lucite frame designs, but hopefully he’ll be remembered for making small still lifes of modest objects; small bouquets of flowers, pears, other fruits and the like. When you’re an artist, people often tell you about other artists that they think are doing similar work, and most of the time it is hard to see a real connection. So because of this, at some point, during my art education, it seemed like I knew of nearly every painter that made works under one square foot. He, like myself, saw the potential and worthiness of making small paintings of common objects as Giorgio Morandi had done before us. I learned of Kulicke through the art of Albert York, an artist of similar interests or at least scale. My recollection is that York had worked at Kulicke’s frame shop at some point which was their connection to each other prior to both artists being represented by Davis & Langdale Company, Inc. in New York. Kulicke made beautiful little paintings.

Roberta Smith wrote this for the New York Times.