IFPDA - Artist

Richard Diebenkorn

American , 1922 - 1993

Born in Portland, Oregon in 1922, Richard Diebenkorn was fascinated by medieval heraldry and Bayeux Tapestries as a child. While attending Stanford University, he became fond of the work of Edward Hopper. He joined the Marines and continued his studies at the University of California at Berkeley.

Diebenkorn and his wife made frequent visits to the Phillips Collection in Washington, where he absorbed the works of Ryder, Bonnard and Matisse, among others. During the 1940s he went to New York where he became familiar with a number of artists and even took an interest in jazz. While attending the California School of Fine Arts, Diebenkorn became acquainted with David Park. During the 1950’s he traveled to Albuquerque and was greatly influenced by the works of Arshile Gorky.

In 1966 he began teaching at the University of California at Los Angeles and soon after, he became famous for his “Ocean Park” paintings that reflected the colors and atmosphere of Santa Monica where he worked. In his prints, he shifted between color field abstraction and figurative imagery. He produced just over one hundred prints in his lifetime.