David John Flynn | Koenigshof Collection

unique original, painting | pigments, wax, dammarhartz on Arches laid paper

In his paintings, the artist David John Flynn fulfills our deep longing for beauty, harmony, and sublimity. It takes us far beyond superficial, decorative embellishment.

With his works, the artist reconciles two seemingly conflicting styles. He says that his painting could be classified as neither classical nor romantic. Its romantic, nostalgic component is combined with a formally modern aesthetic. For his paintings, he mixes the colors himself with pigments in cold wax. This enables him to create the finest nuances and gradations. He records his impressions in sketchbooks. From these memory forms, an extensive library of stencils has emerged, which are put together in ever new combinations in the painting process. With their luminosity and colorfulness, his paintings are associated with American contemporary art.

Eva Mueller | Art Consultant
Curator of the Koenigshof Collection

VITA DAVID JOHN FLYNN (short form)

1952 born in Manchester, Connecticut, USA | 1972 Summer Academy Edinburgh Arts 72, Scotland, GB with Ian Hamilton Finlay, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Tom Ockersee | 1973 Summer Academy Edinburgh Arts 73, Scotland, GB with Joseph Beuys | 1974 Studio Assistant in Lithography with Professor Donato, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA | 1975 BFA, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA | 1980 Move to Munich | 1987 Instructor, Arts and Crafts Program, USMCA Munich CRD, Munich | 1988 Director, Arts and Crafts Program, USMCA Munich, CRD, Munich | 1992 Foundation of the studio project “Werk 19”, Munich | 1994 Study trip to Italy, composition and arrangement of pictures, icons, and folk art in 12th to 15th century painting | 2003 Film about David John Flynn: “Studio Visits: Beauty as a Mask”, director Jochen Richter, BR | 2007 Cofounder Kunst Wohn Werke, Munich

WORKS IN PUBLIC COLLECTIONS (selection)