Ad Reinhardt | |
|---|---|
 Ad Reinhardt at work on one of his 60x60" Abstract Black Painting, circa 1960 | |
| Born | Adolph Friedrich Reinhardt December 24, 1913 |
| Died | August 30, 1967 (aged 53) New York City, US |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Known for | Abstract painting Art theory |
| Notable work | The Black Paintings |
| Movement | Abstract Expressionism Minimal Art Geometric abstraction |
Adolph Friedrich Reinhardt (December 24, 1913 – August 30, 1967) was an abstract painter and Art theorist active in New York City for more than three decades. As a theorist he wrote and lectured extensively on art and was a major influence on conceptual art, minimal art and monochrome painting.
Most famous for his "black" or "ultimate" paintings, he claimed to be painting the "last paintings" that anyone can paint. He believed in a philosophy of art he called Art-as-Art and used his writing and satirical cartoons to advocate for abstract art and against what he described as "the disreputable practices of artists-as-artists".
He was a member of the American Abstract Artists (AAA) and part of the movement centered on the Betty Parsons Gallery that became known as Abstract Expressionism. He was also a member of The Club, the meeting place for the New York School abstract expressionist artists during the 1940s and 1950s.[1]