SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019-20 The Karl Benjamin X Comme des Garçons Project, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California, November 9 – January 25.
2018 Karl Benjamin: Alphabet Paintings, David Klein Gallery, Birmingham, Michigan, March 24 – April 28.
2017 Karl Benjamin: The Alphabet, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California, May 20 – July 8.
2014 Karl Benjamin – The Late Paintings, Louis Stern Fine Arts, Los Angeles, California, September 6 – October 25.
2011 Karl Benjamin and the Evolution of Abstraction, 1950-1980, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California, September 24 – December 24.
2009 Karl Benjamin: Paintings and Installation, The Art Galleries of Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, August 31 – September 25.
2008 The Vibrant Edge: Paintings of Karl Benjamin from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, California, July 20 – October 19.
2007 Dance the Line: Paintings by Karl Benjamin, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California, September 29 – December 22.
A Conversation With Color: Karl Benjamin, Paintings 1953 – 1995, Claremont Museum of Art, Claremont, California, April 15 – June 25.
2006 India Ink Drawings from the 1950’s, Lawrence Markey, San Antonio, Texas, May 2 – June 2.
2006 Alphabet Series: 1964-1965, Brian Gross Fine Art, San Francisco, California, September 9 – October 16.
2005 Karl Benjamin: Drawings from 1950 – 1965, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California, March 5 – April 9.
2004 Karl Benjamin: Paintings from 1950 – 1965, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California, January 10 – April 10.
2003 Stripe Paintings: 1979-1981, Brian Gross Fine Art, San Francisco, California, May 22 - July 5.
2001 (Mostly) Random Rectangles, Brian Gross Fine Art, San Francisco, California, July 14 – August 24.
Karl Benjamin: A Selected Retrospective, Cuttress Fine Art, Pomona, California, October 9 – November 6.
1998 Paintings from the 50’s and 90’s, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, California. Exhibited in conjunction with Sunshine & Noir, Armand Hammer Museum, University of Califronia Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
1995 LA Artcore, Los Angeles, California.
1994 The Pomona Years: 1979-1994, A Retrospective, Montgomery Gallery, Pomona College, Pomona, California.
1991-92 Karl Benjamin: Paintings 1955-1990, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, California, October 24 – November 30. Also shown at Snyder Fine Art, New York, New York, January 14 – February 15.
1991 Recent Paintings, Fong-Spratt Galleries, San Jose, California.
1990 A Ten-Year Survey, The Art Galleries of Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California.
Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, California.
1990-89 Karl Benjamin: A Retrospective, 1955-1987, Redding Museum and Art Center, Shasta College Art Gallery, Redding, California, February 3 – March 12. Also shown at the University of the Pacific, Richard H. Reynolds Gallery, Stockton, California, March 28 – April 27; California State University Northridge, Art Galleries, Northridge, California, December 11 - February 9.
1988 Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, California.
1986 Recent Paintings, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, California. Selected Works 1979-1986, Los Angeles Municipal Art Galleries, Barnsdall Park, Los Angeles, California, January 28 - March 2.
Hemmerdinger Gallery, Palm Springs, California. Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington. Chrysalis Gallery, Claremont, California.
1985 Chrysalis Gallery, Claremont, California.
1984 Hank Baum Gallery, San Francisco, California.
University of California, Santa Barbara, California. 1983 Chrysalis Gallery, Claremont, California.
Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington. 1982 Stella Polaris Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
California State University, Bakersfield, California.
Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington. 1981 Abraxas Gallery, Newport Beach, California.
Karl Benjamin: Paintings from the 50’s, Pepperdine University, Malibu, California, March 23 – April 18.
Shasta College Art Gallery, Redding, California.
Libra Gallery, Claremont Graduate School, Claremont, California. Chaffey College, Alta Loma, California.
Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington.
1980 Karl Benjamin 1970-1980, University of Redlands, Redlands, California.
Cheney-Cowles Museum, Spokane, Washington. Sheehan Gallery, Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington.
Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington.
Tortue Gallery, Santa Monica, California. 1979 Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington. 1978 Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington.
Karl Benjamin: Recent Paintings, Tortue Gallery, Santa Monica, California, November 17 - December 30.
1977 Tortue Gallery, Santa Monica, California. 1975 Chaffey College, Alta Loma, California.
Tortue Gallery, Santa Monica, California.
1972 University of Redlands, Redlands, California. 1971 William Sawyer Gallery, San Francisco, California.
Muckenthaler Cultural Center, Fullerton, California. 1970 Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Jefferson Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla, California. 1969 Mount San Antonio College, Walnut, California.
1968 Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California.
Henri Gallery, Washington D.C.1966 Hollis Galleries, San Francisco, California.
1965 Esther-Robles Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Jefferson Gallery, La Jolla, California.
Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California.
1964 Esther-Robles Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Hollis Galleries, San Francisco, California.
1963 Wooden Horse Gallery, Laguna Beach, California.
Esther-Robles Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
1962 Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California.
Esther-Robles Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
1961 San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, La Jolla, California.
Bolles Gallery, San Francisco, California.
1960 Esther-Robles Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
Lang Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, California.
1959 Esther-Robles Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
1958-59 Paintings by Karl Benjamin: Abstract Classicism, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California, December 7 – January 4.
1958 Occidental College, Los Angeles, California. 1956 Jack Carr Gallery, Pasadena, California.
University of Redlands, Redlands, California. 1955 Jack Carr Gallery, Pasadena, California.
1954 Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California.
1953 Claremont Book and Art Gallery, Claremont, California.
University of Redlands, Redlands, California.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2018 California: North and South, Heather James Fine Art, San Francisco, California, June 16 – September 30.
Intersecting at the Edge: Karl Benjamin, Heather Gwen Martin and Eric Zammitt, Claremont Museum of Art, Claremont, California, July 13 – September 16.
1960s California Hard-Edge, Flowers Gallery, London, July 4 – September 8.
2015 Post-Op: ‘The Responsive Eye’ 50 Years After, David Richard Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, February 27 – April 12.
2014 Recent Acquisitions, Honolulu Museum of Art, Honolulu, Hawaii, December 4, 2014 – February 15, 2015.
2012 Pasadena to Santa Barbara: A Selected History of Art in Southern California, 1951-1969, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California, February 11 – May 6.
The 186th Annual Exhibition, National Academy Museum, New York, New York, January 25 - April 29.
2011-12 Civic Virtue: The Impact of the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the Watts Towers Arts Center, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, California, December 15 – February 12.
Artistic Evolution: Southern California Artists at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California, October 2 – January 14.
Pacific Standard Time: Crosscurrents in L.A. Painting and Sculpture 1945- 1970, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California, October 1 – February 5. Travels to Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, March 15 – June 10, 2012.
The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley,
1945-1985, Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California, September 24 - January 30.
2011 Color Field Revisited, Loretta Howard Gallery, New York, New York, June 4 – July 25.
High Fidelity: Selections from the 1960s and 1970s, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, California, May 28 – September 5.
Southern California Hard Edge: Karl Benjamin, Lorser Feitelson, Helen Lundeberg, John McLaughlin, Art Paris, Louis Stern Fine Arts exhibiting, Paris, France, March 31 – April 3.
Structured Color, D. Wigmore Fine Art, New York, New York, February 8 – April 22.
Softcore / Hard Edge, The Art Galleries of Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, August 29 – September 23.
2010-11 Karl Benjamin: Under the Influence, Royale Projects, Indian Wells, California, November 30 – January 31.
Softcore Hard Edge, The Art Gallery of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, September 10 – January 22.
2010 Wall-to-Wall, Daniel Weinberg Gallery, Los Angeles, California, June 5 – August 14.
2009 California Calling: Works from Santa Barbara Collections, 1948 – 2008, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California, Part 1: July 18 – December 27.
Explorations in Black and White: The 1930s through the 1960s, D. Wigmore Fine Art, New York, New York, October 1 – December 23.
Looking Forward Looking Back: The Collection in Context, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada, April 4 – June 7.
2008-09 Circa 1958: Breaking Ground in American Art, Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina,
September 21 – January 4.
2007-09 Birth of the Cool; California Art, Design and Culture at Midcentury, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, California; Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts; Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California; Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri; The Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin.
2008 Las Vegas Collects Contemporary, Las Vegas Art Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada, May 23 – October 26.
2007-08 Burgoyne Diller and Hard-Edge Abstraction: Underpinnings and Continuity, Spanierman Modern, New York, New York, November 8 – January 5.
2007 After Image: Op Art of the 1960s, Jacobson Howard Gallery, New York, New York, March 8 – April 28.
Optic Nerve: Perceptual Art of the 1960s, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio, February 16 – June 17.
Painting<=>Design, Peggy Phelps and East Galleries, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California, January 8 – 26.
Freedom to Experiment, American Abstraction, 1945-1975: Expressionism, Optical Art & Hard Edge, D. Wigmore Fine Art, New York, New York.
2006 2006 Peace Tower (recreation of 1966 original) in conjunction with the Whitney Biennial Day for Night, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York, March 2 – May 28.
Driven to Abstraction: Southern California and the Non-Objective World, 1900 – 1980, (curated by Peter Frank), Riverside Museum, Riverside, California, August 26 – October 14.
Geometric Abstraction: Two Generations, D. Wigmore Fine Art, New York, New York, February 15 – May 15.
2005-06 Collection Histories/Collective Memories: California Modern, Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, California, February 2 – September 24.
2005 Evolution in Abstraction: Antecedents + Descendents, D. Wigmore Fine Art, New York, New York, April 15 – May 31.
The First 80 Years, Los Angeles Art Association, West Hollywood, California, August 27 – September 24.
Twenty Years and Counting: An Exhibition Celebrating the dA Center for the Arts, dA Center for the Arts, Pomona, California, April 10 – May 22.
2004-05 Human Presence: Works from the Museum’s Collection (The Geometry of Color/The Singular Body), San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California, December 4 – July 24.
The Los Angeles School (curated by Dave Hickey), Ben Maltz Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, November 13 – January 22.
2004 Daimler Chrysler Collection: Minimalism and After III, Daimler Chrysler Contemporary, Potsdamer Plazt Berlin, September 3 – November 28.
The LA That Influenced My Eye (curated by Barry Berkus), Sullivan Goss: An American Gallery, Santa Barbara, California, July 22 – September 22.
Conversations in the Collection: A Selection from the Permanent Collection, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California, August 14 – September 12.
Beyond Geometry: Experiments in Form 1940s –1970s, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California, June 13 – October 3.
2003 (Un)Taped: An Exhibition of Hard-Edge Paintings by Karl Benjamin and Mark L. Emerson, Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, California, September 20 – November 8.
Another Abstract Classicist, University of Southern California Fisher Gallery, Los Angeles, November 29 – February 16, 2003.
2002 Ideal Abstraction 1955-1965: Karl Benjamin and Norman Bluhm, Gary Snyder Fine Art, New York, New York, May 10 – July 10.
Hard Edge and Op Prints from the 70s to Present, Cirrus Gallery, Los Angeles, California, April 6 – August 10.
2001 Four Abstract Classicists: Karl Benjamin, Lorser Feitelson, Frederick Hammersley and John McLaughlin, Gary Snyder Fine Art, New York, New York, June 1 – August 25.
2000 Vertical Chords, Harris Gallery, University of La Verne, La Verne, California, January 18 – February 11.
Four Abstract Classicists Plus One, Tobey Moss Gallery, Los Angeles, California, January 15 – February 25.
1998 Elusive Paradise: Los Angeles Art from the Permanent Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art: Geffen Contemporary, Los Angeles, California.
Convergences, The Art Galleries at Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California.
1997 Eyedazzlers, University Art Museum, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Generational Abstractions, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, California.
Geometric Abstraction 1937-1997, Snyder Fine Art, New York, New York. 1996-97 On the Edge of America: California Modernist Art, Jack Rutberg Fine Arts,
Los Angeles, California, November 8 – March 1.
1996 California Focus, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California.
California Artists: Genres of the 20th Century, Henley Gallery, Chapman University, Orange, California.
Some Grids: The Theme of the Grid in 20th Century Art, Los Angeles
County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California.
1993 Four Abstract Classicists: West Coast Hard Edge, Modernism Gallery, San Francisco, California.
California: Art from the 1930s to the Present, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California.
3 Artists: Common Origins, Different Paths, Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, California. Also shown at Kemper Gallery, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California.
Choice Encounters, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California. Journey Into Art, LA Artcore 5th Annual Awards Benefit, Los Angeles,
California.
1992 Phinney Gallery, Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California.
Selections from the Permanent Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California.
Post War Geometric Concepts, Marilyn Pearl Gallery, New York, New York.
1990 Geometric Abstraction, Marc Richards Gallery, Santa Monica, California. Karl Benjamin, Steve Schlichtenmyer, Art Gallery at The Claremont
Graduate School, Claremont, California, January – February.
Snyder Fine Art, New York, New York.
1990-92 Turning the Tide: Early Los Angeles Modernists: 1920-1956, Laguna Art Museum, California. Also shown at Oakland Art Museum, California; Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, Texas; Nora Eccles Harrison Art Museum, Logan, Utah; Santa Barbara Museum of Fine Art, California; Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California, July 13, 1990 – January 20, 1992.
1989-90 Blueprints for Modern Living, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California.
1989 Then and Now, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, California.
A Decade of Abstraction, Seattle Center, Seattle, Washington.
1988 The Linear Thread, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, California.
1987 California’s Painting from the 60’s, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Contemporary Prints by West Coast Artists, Francine Seders Gallery, Seattle, Washington.
Pomona College Centennial Faculty Exhibition, Montgomery Gallery, Pomona College, Pomona, California.
Insights, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California.
1986-87 Four Abstract Classicists: A Look at 1950s California Hard-Edge Painting,
R.C. Erpf Gallery, New York, New York, December - January.
1985-86 Ten California Colorists, Shasta College Art Gallery, Redding Museum & Art Center, Redding, California. Also shown at San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, California; Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California; Montgomery Galleries, Pomona College, Claremont, California; University Art Museum, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
1985 Color Forms, Gallery at the Plaza, Security Pacific National Bank, Los Angeles, California.
Drawings from the David Nellis Collection, California State University, Los Angeles, California.
1984 Color, Color, Color, Henry Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
A Focus on California: Selections from the Permanent Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California.
The Twentieth Century: The SFMMA Collection, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California.
1983 Contemporary American Printmaking, Shasta College Art Gallery, Redding, California.
The Museum Collection, The Art Museum of Santa Cruz County, Santa Cruz, California.
1982 Color in Contemporary Painting, Henry Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Los Angeles Hard Edge, Tobey Moss Gallery, Los Angeles, California. Also shown at Fine Arts Gallery, Laguna Beach, California.
1981 California Artists: 1940-1980, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, California.
Pacific Coast Museum Selections, National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC.
1980 West Coast: Art for the Vice-President’s House (paintings selected from West Coast Museum Collections), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Also shown at the Vice-President’s residence, Washington DC.
1979 Black and White Are Colors, Montgomery & Lang Galleries, Pomona College and Scripps College, Claremont, California.
Art, Inc.: American Paintings from Corporate Collections, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama. Also shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis, Indiana; San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, California.
Los Angeles Abstract Painting, University Art Museum, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Also shown at University Art Gallery, University of California, Riverside, California.
1978 A Painting Show, Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California.
1977 California: 5 Footnotes to Modern Art History, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California, January 18 – April 24.
International Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland, and Cologne, West Germany. Four From California, Dorothy Rosenthal Gallery, Chicago, Illinois.
Archives of American Art: California Collecting, Oakland Art Museum, California. Also shown at Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California.
Three From California, Francine Selders Gallery, Seattle, Washington. Los Angeles Hard Edge: The Fifties and the Seventies, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California.
35th Biennial Exhibition of American Painting, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
Southern California Festival of the Arts, Laguna Beach, California.
1976 Paintings and Sculpture in California: The Modern Era, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Also shown at the National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington DC.
1971 Pacific Cities Loan Exhibition, Auckland City Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand.
1969 Los Angeles Annual Art Exhibition, Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles, California.
1968 Paintings from the 50’s and 60’s from the Collection of Gifford and Joann Philips, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California.
1967 30th Biennial Exhibition of American Painting, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Contemporary American Painting, The White House, Washington D.C. California Art Festival, Lytton Center for the Visual Arts, Los Angeles, California.
1966 85th Annual Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California.
American Painting, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia. Contemporary California Art from the Lytton Collection, Lytton Center for the Visual Arts, Los Angeles, California.
California Painters and Sculptors Invitational, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California.
Drawings, Gallery Dache, New York.
Peace Tower, Los Angeles, California.
1965 The Responsive Eye, Museum of Modern Art, New York. Also shown at St. Louis Art Museum, Missouri; Seattle Art Museum, Washington; Pasadena Art Museum, California; Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland.
Art Across America, Mead Corporation, New York. Also shown at M. Knoedler & Co., New York; Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio; Cleveland Institute of Art, Ohio; Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut; Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio; Isaac Delgado Museum, New Orleans, Louisana; Commerical Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Colorists: 1950-1965, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California.
California Artists, Witte Memorial Museum, San Antonio, Texas. Survey of Contemporary Art, J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky.
Denver Museum Annual, Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado.
1964 New Accessions, USA, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
California Hard Edge Painting, Pavilion Gallery, Balboa, California, March 11 – April 12.
Selections from the Asher Collection, University Art Museum, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Painted Sculpture, Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, California.
1963 Liturgical Art, Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, California.
1962 50 California Artists, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Also shown at Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa.
Geometric Abstraction in America, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York. Also shown at Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts.
The Artist’s Environment: West Coast, Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, Texas. Also shown at Oakland Art Museum, California; Wight Art Galleries, University of California, Los Angeles.
1961-62 Pacific Profile, Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California. Circulated in Western States by Western Association of Art Museums.
1961 Paintings from the Pacific: United States, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand.
California Artists, Carnegie Mellon Art Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
1960 West Coast Hard Edge, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, England. Also shown at Queen’s College, Belfast, Ireland.
Purist Painting, American Federation of Arts, White Art Museum, Ithaca, New York. Also shown at Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; J.B. Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; North
Carolina, Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio.
Annual Exhibition, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California.
1st Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition, La Jolla Art Museum, La Jolla, California.
1959 Four Abstract Classicists, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California (catalogue) Institute of Contemporary Art, London, England, Queen’s University, Belfast Ireland (catalogue)
New Talent, American Federation of Arts, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, Kansas. Also shown at Time, Inc., New York, New York; Moody Gallery of Art, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Howard University, Washington D.C.
California Painters under 35, Wight Art Galleries, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
1949-1959: A Decade in the Contemporary Galleries, Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California.
Kaleidoscope, Taos, New Mexico.
1958 Arts of Southern California II: Painting, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California.
1957 California Drawings, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California, August 7 – September 28.
1956 Art in Architecture, Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles, California.
Eighth San Gabriel Valley Artists Exhibition, Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California, October 7 – November 18.
1955 Faculty Exhibition, Pasadena School of Fine Arts, Pasadena, California.
10th Annual Newport Harbor Art Exhibit, Newport Beach, California. 1954 14th Annual Invitational Art Exhibit, Chaffey Art Association, Ontario, California.
Artists You Should Know, Los Angeles Art Association, Los Angeles, California.
39th Annual California Art Exhibit, San Bernardino, California. 1953 Falk-Raboff Gallery, Los Angeles, California.
5th Annual San Gabriel Valley Artists Exhibition, Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland
Cheney Cowles State Museum, Spokane, Washington
Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California
Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado
Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, San Diego, California
Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California
Henry Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California La Jolla Museum of Art, La Jolla, California
Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California
Los Angeles Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut Creek, California
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, California
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla, California
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, Nevada
Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, California
Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Utah State University, Logan, Utah
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina
Norton Simon Museum of Art, Pasadena, California
Oakland Museum, Oakland, California
Palm Springs Desert Museum, Palm Springs, California
Pasadena Museum of California Art, Pasadena, California
Pitzer College, Claremont, California
Pomona College, Claremont, California
San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park, California
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, California
Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California
Santa Cruz County Museum of Art, Santa Cruz, California
Scripps College, Claremont, California
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
Sheldon Memorial Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Washington
University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, Iowa
University Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley, California
University Art Museum, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico University of Redlands, Redlands, California
Utah Museum of Fine Arts, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Conneticut
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York
CHRONOLOGY
1925
Born in Chicago, Illinois, December 29.
1943-1946
Serves in the U.S. Navy.
1946
Moves to Redlands, California.
1949
Marries Beverly Paschke, January.
1949
Earns Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, History & Philosophy from University of Redlands, California.
1949
Begins teaching a sixth grade class at Cedar Street Elementary School in Bloomington, California.
1950
First daughter Beth Marie is born September 19.
1950
After becoming interested in the art that his students created, Benjamin makes initial attempts at his own paintings. Working in isolation, he replicates artistic styles he admires, seeking inspiration from art books and magazines.
1951
Moves to Claremont, California with his family. Attends Claremont Graduate School at Scripps College with assistance from the G.I. Bill.
1953
Resumes teaching in Chino, California; teaches elementary school continuously until 1979.
1953
Second daughter Kris Ellen is born March 25.
1954
First major solo show at the Pasadena Art Museum. The exhibition features abstract works inspired by nature, as well as modernist landscapes and still-lifes. Benjamin is
later inspired to move towards geometric abstraction in his work.
1955
First son Bruce Lincoln is born March 12.
1955
Moves into his current home in Claremont, a mid-century modern post and beam house designed by Fred McDowell.
1955-1959
Benjamin’s work becomes less referential and more abstract as he integrates architectural and biomorphic forms and hard lines. Period includes “Totem Groups” and “Plant Forms” series.
1959
Featured in seminal exhibition “Four Abstract Classicists” at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Curated by Jules Langsner, the show also included artists Lorser Feitelson, Frederick Hammersley, and John McLaughlin. Langsner coins the term “Hard Edge” to refer to the forms apparent in the work of the Abstract Classicists. The exhibition opens at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, travels to the Los Angeles County Museum, and later to London and Belfast under a different title, “West Coast Hard Edge.”
1960
After a five-year period of part-time attendance, Benjamin earns a Master’s of Art from Claremont Graduate School. Artist and CGS Professor Jean Ames proves integral to his studies.
1960-61
“Tape-Grid” and “Vertical Stripes” series.
1961-62
“Floating Structures” series.
1964-65
“Alphabet” series.
1966-73
Elaborate grid paintings using triangle patterns.
1974-75
Simplified rectangular forms featuring unique color palettes.
1976-81
Stripes.
1979-96
Professor of Art and Resident Artist of drawing and painting at Pomona College and Claremont Graduate University.
1981-86
Patterns
1983
Awarded National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Visual Arts.
1988-89
Karl Benjamin: A Retrospective, 1955-1987 opens at the Shasta College Art Gallery, Redding, California, and travels to University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, and California State University Northridge.
1989
Awarded National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Visual Arts.
1990
Major solo exhibition A Ten-Year Survey at The Art Galleries of Claremont Graduate School.
1991-92
Major solo exhibition Karl Benjamin: Paintings 1955-1990 organized by Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica and Snyder Fine Art, New York.
1996-2012
Professor Emeritus, Claremont Graduate University.
2007-09
Prominently featured in national traveling exhibition organized by the Orange County Museum of Art, “Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design and Culture at Mid-Century.”
2007
Major solo exhibition Dance the Line: Paintings by Karl Benjamin at Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood.
Major solo exhibition A Conversation With Color: Karl Benjamin, Paintings 1953 – 1995 at Claremont Museum of Art.
2008
Major solo exhibition The Vibrant Edge: Paintings of Karl Benjamin from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s at the Oceanside Museum of Art.
2009
Major solo exhibition Karl Benjamin: Paintings and Installation at The Art Galleries of Claremont Graduate University.
2011
Major solo exhibition Karl Benjamin and the Evolution of Abstraction, 1950-1980 at Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood.
2011-12
Extensively featured in the Getty initiative Pacific Standard Time: Art in Los Angeles, 1945-1980.
Exhibits in major shows including Pacific Standard Time: Crosscurrents in L.A. Painting and Sculpture, 1945-1970 at the J. Paul Getty Museum and Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin, Artistic Evolution: Southern California Artists at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and Civic Virtue: The Impact of the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery and the Watts Towers Arts Center.
2012
Exhibits in The 186th Annual Exhibition at the National Academy Museum of New York. Exhibits in Pasadena to Santa Barbara: A Selected History of Art in Southern California,
1951-1969 at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Dies July 26, 2012 in Claremont, California.
2013
Exhibits in Four Abstract Classicists at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (December 21, 2013 – June 29, 2014)
2014
Major solo exhibition Karl Benjamin - The Late Paintings at Louis Stern Fine Arts, Los Angeles.
Exhibits in Recent Acquisitions 2013-2014 at The Honolulu Museum of Art (December 4, 2014 – February 15, 2015).
2015
Exhibits in The Triumph of Love: Beth Rudin Dewoody Collects at the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida. (February 7 – May 3).
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2011
Muchnic, Suzanne. “Fill Up the Space and Don’t Mess Around.” (catalogue essay) Karl Benjamin and the Evolution of Abstraction, 1950-1980, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California.
2010
Kienholz, Lyn, Elizabeta Betinski, and Corinne Nelson. L.A. Rising: SoCal Artists before 1980. Los Angeles, California: California/International Arts Foundation.
2009
Anderson, Susan M. Collecting California: Selections from Laguna Art Museum. Laguna Beach, California: Laguna Art Museum.
Biller, Steven. "The Accidental Modernist." Palm Springs Life. February.
2008
Emerling, Susan. “Karl Benjamin.” Artnews. March issue, page 148.
Wiehager, Renate. Minimalism and After: Tradition and Tendencies of Minimalism from
1950 to the Present. Germany: Hatje Cantz.
2007
Castagno, John. European Artists II: Signatures and Monograms from 1800: A Comprehensive Directory. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow.
Finkel, Jori. "Karl Benjamin's Colorful Resurgence." New York Times. 7 October. Hickey, Dave. “Karl Benjamin: A New Past is Now Available.” (catalogue essay) Dance
the Line: Paintings by Karl Benjamin. Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California. Humblet, Claudine. The New American Abstraction. Milano: Skira.
Knight, Christopher. "L.A.'s Midcentury Style Gets a Sleek Look in 'Birth of the Cool' at OCMA." Los Angeles Times. 10 October.
2004
Nelson, Harold B. “Karl Benjamin: The Early Years.” (catalogue essay)
Karl Benjamin: Paintings from 1950-1965, Louis Stern Fine Arts, West Hollywood, California.
Nieto, Margarita. “Karl Benjamin.” ArtScene. Volume XXIII, No. 5, January issue, pages 21-22.
Pagel, David. “A Newly Varnished Reputation.” Los Angeles Times. January 16, page E36.
2003
Humblet, Claudine. La Nouvelle Abstraction Américaine. Volume I, Milan: Skira/Seuil, pages 468-511.
Wiehager, Renate. “Daimler Chrysler Collection: Minimalism and After III.” (catalogue), Daimler Chrylser AG, Berlin, 2003, pages 18-19.
2001
Bonetti, David. “Karl Benjamin at Brian Gross.” San Francisco Chronicle. August 25.
1999
Duncan, Michael. “Karl Benjamin at Ruth Bachofner.” Art in America. February.
1997
Finch, Christopher. “Hard-Edge Painting: Bold Abstractions from California’s Midcentury Avant-Garde.” Architectural Digest. April.
1994
Cutajar, Mario. “Allover and Over.” Artweek. October 22. “Informed Teaching.” Pomona College Today Magazine. Summer.
1993
“Four Abstract Classicists: West Coast Hard-Edge,” (catalogue), Modernism Gallery, San Francisco, California.
1992
Welles, Elenore. “Hard Edges, Bright Centers.” Visions. Summer.
1991
Frank, Peter. “Karl Benjamin: In Microspect.” (catalogue essay), Karl Benjamin: Paintings 1955-1990, Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, California and Snyder Fine Art, New York.
Ehrlich, Susan. “Southern California’s Modernist Dawn.” Artspace. Volume 16, number 6, Fall.
Kojima, Hisaka. “Karl Benjamin.” Geijutukouron. October.
1990
Atkins, Robert. Artspeak: a Guide to Contemporary Ideas, Movements, and Buzzwords. New York: Abbeville.
Donohue, Marlena. “The Art Galleries.” Los Angeles Times. January 26.
Ehrlich, Susan and Paul J. Karlstrom. Turning the Tide: Early Los Angeles Modernists 1920-1956. (catalogue) Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Laguna Art Museum, California, pages 43-44.
Frank, Peter. “Art by Peter Frank.” LA Weekly. February 16-22. Jones, Nancy Ann. “Color into Form.” Artweek. January 25.
Schlosberg, Suzanne. “Hard Paintings and Soft Photographs.” Los Angeles Times. January.
Waldman, Tom. “LA Art: The First Generation.” USC Trojan Family. Winter. 1989
Curtis, Cathy. “Then and Now.” Los Angeles Times. December 29.
Schipper, Merle. “Karl Benjamin: A Retrospective 1955-1987.” (catalogue) Redding Museum and Art Center, University of the Pacific, Redding, California and California State University, Northridge, California. 1988
Curtis, Cathy. “Exhibit Featuring Linear Concepts.” The Irvine World News. April 7. Donahue, Marlena. “The Galleries.” Los Angeles Times January 29.
1986
Muchnic, Suzanne. “Benjamin Shapes Up as Unself-Conscious Type.” Los Angeles Times. February 3, pages 1-2.
Muchnic, Suzanne. “The Art Galleries.” Los Angeles Times. July 4.
Schipper, Merle. “Karl Benjamin: Selected Works 1979 -1986.” (catalogue) Los Angeles
Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles, California. Schipper, Merle. “Karl Benjamin.” Artnews. October.
Wilson, William. “Two Careful Technicians Whose Feelings Seep Out.” Los Angeles Times. February 9.
Wilson, William. “Municipal Art Gallery Retrospective Exhibition.” Los Angeles Times. February 9.
1985
Muchnic, Suzanne. “Colorforms: An Old-Fashioned Salute.” Los Angeles Times. June 3. Schipper, Merle. “Provocative Color.” Artweek. December 7.
1983
Figoten, Sheldon. “Karl Benjamin at Stella Polaris.” Images & Issues. Volume III, April. 1982
Wilson, William. “The Galleries.” Los Angeles Times. October 29. 1981
Muchnic, Suzanne. “Karl Benjamin Exhibit at Pepperdine.” Los Angeles Times. April 10. Schipper, Merle. “Paintings from the Fifties.” (catalogue) Art Gallery, Pepperdine
University, Malibu, California.
Karl Benjamin. Personal interview conducted by William L. Weiss. September 10, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Karl Benjamin papers. Microfilm 2786. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
1980
Fox, Louis. “Karl Benjamin: 1970-1980.” (catalogue) University of Redlands, Redlands, California.
Hemmerdinger, William. “The Essence of Color and Structure.” Artweek. November 15.
1979
Wilson, William. “An Open and Shut Case for Seeing in Black and White.” Los Angeles Times. February 11.
Wortz, Melinda. “Los Angeles Abstract Painting.” (catalogue) University of New Mexico, Albuquerque and University of California, Riverside.
1978
App, Timothy. “Karl Benjamin: Recent Paintings.” (catalogue) Tortue Gallery, Santa Monica, California.
Schipper, Merle. “Karl Benjamin: Color as Commitment.” Artweek. December 16.
Wilson, William. “Art Walk.” Los Angeles Times. November 24. 1977
Schipper, Merle. “California: 5 Footnotes to Modern Art History.” (catalogue), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, page 53.
Muchnic, Suzanne. “Five ‘Footnotes’ to California History.” Artweek. March 26. 1975
App, Timothy. “Chromatic Explorations.” Artweek. November 8.
Benjamin, Karl. “Setting the Record Straight.” LAICA Journal, Los Angeles, California,
April/May.
Plagens, Peter. “The Soft Touch of Hard Edge.” LAICA Journal, Los Angeles, California, April/May.
Wilson, William. “Art Walk.” Los Angeles Times. October 31. 1969
Mount San Antonio College Art Gallery, (catalogue), Walnut, California.
1965
C.O. “Karl Benjamin at Esther Robles Gallery, Los Angeles.” Artforum. Volume III, number 4, January, page 16.
J.M. “Karl Benjamin, Hollis Gallery.” Artforum. February, page 12.
“Colorists: 1950-1965.” (catalogue), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California.
1964
Frankenstein, Alfred. “Around the Galleries.” San Francisco Chronicle. December 1. Langsner, Jules. “California Hard Edge Painting.” (catalogue), Pavilion Gallery, Balboa,
California.
1963
“Karl Benjamin at Esther Robles Gallery, Los Angeles.” Art International. Volume III, 3, March 25, page 77.
Martin, Fred. “San Francisco Letter.” Art International, page 129. 1960
Alloway, Lawrence. “Classicism or Hard-Edge?” Art International Vol. IV, 2-3, page 60.
1959
Langsner, Jules. “Four Abstract Classicists.” (catalogue) Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California.
1956
Langsner, Jules. “Art news from Los Angeles.” Artnews. May.