Abstract and surrealist artist, Stefan Knapp (1921-1996), had a very interesting life. He was born in Bilgoraj, Poland, was imprisoned in a Siberian labor camp in Russia in 1939, but survived to end up flying Spitfires for Great Britain as a Royal Air Force pilot during WWII!

Once the war was over, Knapp studied art in England at the Central School of the Arts and Crafts and at the Slade School of Fine Art before mounting his first show at the London Gallery in 1947. He went on to exhibit in Germany, France, Brazil, America, and his native Poland with retrospectives at the Warsaw Gallery of Zacheta, the Polish Cultural Institute, and more. Working in a variety of media (glass on steel, paint on enamel), and at varying sizes (some murals were so large they had to be assembled in aircraft hangars!), Knapp saw his works acquired by London's Victoria & Albert Museum, New York's Museum of Modern Art, Poland's Torun University, England's Heathrow Airport, and the Polish Metro in Warsaw. Sadly, just three days after installing his huge mural of "The Battle of Britain" in Warsaw's subway, Knapp died of a heart attack in his studio, and thus ended his brilliant career.

I acquired this striking 16 1/4" X 20 1/4" signed and numbered S. Knapp print in the mid-1980s. Its luscious amethyst and lavendar tones and sleek metal frame fit right in with my New York apartment's Art Deco decor, but I eventually moved West and my decor changed accordingly. But this striking work is way too too special to wind up locked in a storage room. Here's hoping you'll rescue it and give it a featured spot in your contemporary home.


Condition:
Alterations: Original Condition Unaltered
Imperfections: Some Imperfections
Condition Notes: There is a watermark at the bottom of the cardboard on the back of the frame. Whether or not the print itself has a similar watermark at it's very bottom under the frame, I can't tell. And it's only after staring very closely at the front of the print that I can I see an extremely pale, almost imperceptible watermark line in the right-hand corner below Knapp's signature. I'm surprised: I've had this print for years and never saw the line until now. That's how faint it is.

Origin:
United Kingdom

Materials & Techniques:
Chrome Finish, Lithograph

Details:
Art Subjects: Geometric, Still Life
Frame Type: Framed
What type of item is it? Vintage / Antique / Used
Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; There is a watermark at the bottom of the cardboard on the back of the frame. Whether or not the print itself has a similar watermark at it's very bottom under the frame, I can't tell. And it's only after staring very closely at the front of the print that I can I see an extremely pale, almost imperceptible watermark line in the right-hand corner below Knapp's signature. I'm surprised: I've had this print for years and never saw the line until now. That's how faint it is.