Eric de Kolb
Eric de Kolb | |
---|---|
Fashion Design | |
Title | Baron |
Movement | Surrealism |
Eric de Kolb (March 10, 1916 – April 14, 2001) was an Austrian-born surrealistic artist, painter, sculptor, jewelry and fashion designer, commercial artist, and package designer. He was born in Vienna in 1916 and died in New York City in 2001. His artistic skills were diverse; his surrealistic paintings were created in a vast array of styles, and his mini sculptures were created in many different styles and materials.
Eric de Kolb and his wife had homes in New York City and on the Isle of Capri.
Life
Eric de Kolb (Baron Eric de Kolb-Wartenberg) grew up in an aristocratic Viennese family. Both his father and grandfather were art collectors.[2] Eric de Kolb became a well-known artist, famous for his fashion designs, jewelry designs, miniature sculptures, paintings, and commercial art packaging.
Career
De Kolb began designing when he was 5 or 6. His father had ordered an artist to paint a scene on the ceiling. Young de Kolb decided to draw something that he knew would look much better. He made designs of Poseidon and mermaids and showed them to his father. His father decided to give him art lessons. His first teacher was Otto Koening, a famous sculptor who was 80 years old at that time and had a long white beard. He told de Kolb "You make my portrait and I'll make yours." When de Kolb finished the portrait, Koening said, "Wonderful, you have talent." De Kolb studied with Koening until Koening's death, four years later.
Koenig had recommended his student to the Rector of The Academy of Arts in Vienna. Later de Kolb studied at The
The
Later, de Kolb founded a firm of industrial designers (Eric de Kolb Designers, 20 East 53rd Street, New York, NY) that packaged cosmetics for Helena Rubinstein, Coty, Schiaparelli, and other great names in the loveliness industry. He won a package-designing Oscar three times for his work, which he said, "...should be beautiful, appetizing and make customers buy the product, but never fool people." He also created package designs for the Fuller Brush Company. [3]
Eric de Kolb is the original creator and designer of many fashions and commercial packaging that are well known throughout the world, some of these very famous designs are: footie pajamas with booties and snap opening for diaper change; four-dimensional perfume bottle (perfume in a glass nude figurine); four-dimensional unbreakable dispenser/bottle (milk or honey in a Teddy Bear figurine); rubber coated unbreakable spray bottle for the shower.
De Kolb was a sculptor and a collector of ancient art. The
When de Kolb was approached by Bonwit Teller to sell his gold ancient art replica jewelry pieces, he imported Italian craftsmen. De Kolb modeled each piece like a sculptor. Prices for the pieces ranged from $50 to $390.[6]
On behalf of the Eric de Kolb Collection, major department stores presented full page ads in major newspapers throughout the United States and Italy. Eric de Kolb made many personal appearances.
Eric de Kolb is also noted for his design of night clubs and Riviera villas.[9][10]
In New York City, Eric de Kolb owned the Gallery d' Hautbarr. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the famous
De Kolb married his first wife Louise Christine in 1940. In 1983 he married Elvira Esterhazy (Elvira Alexandra Maria Lucia Isabella Rudolphine (b.Vienna 13 Apr 1929); m. New York 1 Dec 1983 Eric de Kolb-Wartenberg).[citation needed]
Eric de Kolb was commissioned by Pope John Paul II to paint "The Miracles of St. Anthony" when he went to Padua and Brazil.
He gave gifts to the Snite Museum of Art.[11] His paintings were also on display there.
Books
Eric de Kolb's books include: African Sooth Sayers and Ashanti Gold Weights[12] and a book written with Katherine Oak Quinn on African art.
Awards and Mentions
- The Marquis Who's Who Publications Bureau.
- Biographical records in "Who's Who in the East 17th Edition" for individuals "who have demonstrated outstanding abilities in their field."
- Two-time winner of the Welsh Award for Commercial Design.
- World's Who's Who in Commerce & Industry - 13th Edition 1964-65 - Page 311.
- Who's Who in American Art 1966 - Page 107.
- Who's Who in American Art 1973 - Page 177-178.
Death
Eric de Kolb died in 2001, of complications during a simple cataract surgery.[13]
Sources
- Full Page deKolb Designer Jewelry Ads and Newspaper Articles
- NY Times, Sunday 2/15/1970 – Bonwitt Teller – Gold Jewelry
- Women's Wear Daily Tuesday 2/17/1970 - Bonwitt Teller – Gold Jewelry
- Detroit Free Press – 6/14/1976 – Hudson's Dept. Store
- Newspaper – No Name or Date – Coplans
- Manhattan East Newspaper – Tuesday 5/26/1970
- The Atlanta Constitution – 11/28/1970
- NY Times – No Date – Bonwitt Tellers
- Women's Wear Daily – 1970
- Philadelphia Inquirer – 3/8/1970 – Bonwitt Tellers
- St. Louis Globe – Democrat – 11/3/1970 Stix, Baer, & Fuller
- St. Louis Post Dispatch 1970
- NY Times -10/24/1970 – Tiffany & Co.
- Dayton Daily News – Sunday 11/29/1970 – Rike's Dept. Store
- Atlantic Journal – Wednesday 12/2/1970 – Rich's Dept. Store
- Rochester Democrat & Chronicle – Sunday 12/6/1970 – Rike's Dept. Store
- Spettacolli – Giornale D' Italia – 1970
- Martedi – 12/2/1970
- Newspaper Roma
- NY Times – Thursday 3/4/1971 – Bloomingdales
- Detroit Free Press – 3/21/71 – Hudson Dept. Store
- Columbus Dispatch – Sunday 5/16/1971 – Lazarus
- Columbus Dispatch -5/14/71
- Los Angeles Times – Tuesday 10/19/71 – Bullocks Wilshire
- Houston Post – Wednesday 11/16/1971
- Atlanta Journal – Wednesday 11/24/71
- New York Post – 1971 – Gallery D' Hautebarr – Amulets and Talisman.
- Palm Beach Post Times – Sunday 2/20/72 – Jordan Marsh
- Miami Herald – 2/20/72 – Jordan Marsh
- Fort Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel 2/20/72 – Jordan Marsh
- Fort Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel 3/6/72 – Jordan Marsh
- Houston Post – 4/6/72 – Talisman Collection – Foley's
- Houston Chronicle – 4/4/72
- Houston Post – 4/4/72
- Detroit Free Press 1972
- Atlanta Constitution – 5/11/72 – Rich's
- Worth Side News – 5/11/72
- St. Antonio's Express 9/17/72
- Miami Herald – 11/28/72
- Atlantis Constitution – 12/1/72
References
- ^ City of NY Certificate of Death
- ^ St. Louis Post Dispatch Everyday Magazine
- ^ http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dickbolt/FullerBrushPatents.doc - Similar pages>/
- ^ Hudson Post Wed. 11/16/1971)
- ^ Hudson Post Wed. 11/16/1971
- ^ Women's Wear Daily – Tuesday
- ^ Women's Wear Daily 1970
- ^ Women's Wear Daily 1970
- ^ St. Louis Post Dispatch Everyday Magazine 11/3/1970
- ^ Women's Wear Daily – Tuesday, 2/17/1970
- ^ "Snite Museum of Art - University of Notre Dame -- Ancient Medieval & Renaissance Gallery". www.nd.edu. Archived from the original on 2009-03-31.
- ^ "Ashanti goldweights / / Eric de Kolb".
- ^ Mrs. Eric de Kolb