
John Willenbecher
John Willenbecher (b. 1936) is an American painter and sculptor. After graduating from Brown University in 1958, Willenbecher set out become an art historian, studying for his PhD at NYU’s Institute of Fine on Art with an intention to write about Florentine artist Mariotto Albertinelli (1474-1515). After three years of of study and six months of travel in Europe, Willenbecher returned to New York passionately determined to become an artist. Seeing The Art of Assemblage, a landmark exhibition curated by William C. Seitz at the Museum of Modern Art in 1961, catalyzed this budding ambition.
Willenbecher’s earliest works were inspired by the assemblages of Joseph Cornell and Louise Nevelson, his compositions reminiscent of vintage boardwalk arcade games. In 1963, he had his first solo exhibition at Feigen & Herbert Gallery in New York. Donald Judd, reviewing the show for Arts Magazine, writes "The sorts of meaning Willenbecher is dealing with are interesting. Insofar as art is philosophical this is relevant, believable philosophy, which, since it is in the art, takes art." Like many of his peers, from Jasper Johns to Ray Johnson, Willenbecher turned to the New York City streets and junk shops to mine materials for his playful constructions. Painted in black, white, and shades of gray, many of the found objects comprising these works are clearly identifiable, from ABC blocks and Christmas tree ornaments to wooden chair spindles. Willenbecher preferred materials “whose existences prior to his spotting them would still be detectable in their revamped state,” as art historian and curator Dan Cameron has recently observed.
Willenbecher was born in Macungie, PA and lives and works in New York City. His works can be found in the permanent collections of important museums including: the Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, CA; the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY; The Art Institute of Chicago, IL; the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; and Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT.
John Willenbecher, Game With Three Black Discs, 1962, mixed media and collage on paper, 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 inches
John Willenbecher, Untitled Construction, 1962, painted wood, 11 1/4 x 10 3/4 x 1 1/4 inches
John Willenbecher, Untitled [28 / III / 63 #6], 1963, monotype on paper, 13 3/4 x 11 1/4 inches
John Willenbecher, Labyrinth II.V.72, 1972, acrylic on Masonite, 33 x 24 inches
John Willenbecher, N.A.D. [18. VI. 86], 1986, graphite on paper, 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches
John Willenbecher, 5 II 92, 1992, acrylic on paper, 9 x 8 1/4 inches
John Willenbecher, The Commonplace Books of John Willenbecher, Begun in 1961, 1977, The Fine Arts Gallery at Wright State University Dayton, OH, 8 x 8 inches
John Willenbecher, fold out announcement and poster for solo exhibition at Feigen / Herbert, New York, October 22 - November 16, 1963, 13 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches (open); unmailed
Paper bag exhibition announcement for group show at Richard Feigen Gallery, The Artists Collect, May 5-30, 1964. Including, among others, John Willenbecher, Jasper Johns, Lee Bontecou, Ellsworth Kelly, Marisol, Robert Indiana, and Roy Lichtenstein
John Willenbecher: Constructions, fold out announcement and poster for solo exhibition at Richard Feigen Gallery, New York, February 2 - 27, 1965, 17 x 13 1/2 inches (open); unmailed
Elayne Varian, Art In Process: The Visual Development of Structure, exhibition catalogue for show curated at Finch College Museum of Art, Contemporary Study Wing, New York, 1966, 8 1/2 x 11 inches
John Willenbecher, Sun Down, 1967, silkscreen on paper with die-cut perforations, foldable construction published by The Museum of Modern Art, 5 x 5 x 3/4 inches
Betty Parsons' Private Collection, exhibition catalogue for show organized Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield, MI, with texts by Elayne Varian and Eugene Goossen, 1968, 11 x 8 1/2 inches
John Willenbecher: Five Cenotaphs for Etienne-Louis Boullée (1728-1799), exhibition invite / fold out postcard for solo show at AM Sachs, New York, January 11 - 30, 1975, 8 x 5 inches (open)
John Willenbecher, catalogue for solo exhibition at The Everson Museum of Art of Syracuse and Onondaga County, Syracuse, NY, March 7-May 4, 1975, with essay by Ronald Onorato, 9 x 10 inches
Ray Johnson / John Willenbecher. Published by William S. Wilson (In Between Books Press), 1977. 8 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches
Jean-Louis Bourgeois, John Willenbecher, catalogue for exhibition at Alberta College of Art Gallery, Calgary, Canada, December 3 - 22, 1976, 8 x 8 inches
John Willenbecher: Works from the 1960s, exhibition for catalogue at Craig F. Starr Gallery, New York, 2021-22, including essay by Dan Cameron, 9 x 7 inches
(left to right) Henry Geldzahler, Ruth Kligman, and John Willenbecher at the opening of Willenbecher's 1963 solo exhibition at Feigen Herbert Gallery, New York. Photo by Adelaide de Menil. Courtesy of the artist.
Installation view for The Artists Collect, group exhibition at Richard Feigen Gallery, New York, May 1964, including artists John Willenbecher, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Robert Indiana, Marisol, Ellsworth Kelly, Lee Bontecou, among others. Courtesy of the artist.
John Willenbecher studio and apartment, 15 West 68th street, c. 1963. Courtesy of the artist.
John Willenbecher, photo booth contact sheet, 1969. Courtesy of the artist.
(left to right) John Willenbecher, Marisol, and Andy Warhol at the opening of Willenbecher's 1963 solo exhibition at Feigen Herbert Gallery, New York. Photo by Adelaide de Menil. Courtesy of the artist.
Tony Curtis with his collection of box assemblages, including works by John Willenbecher, Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Cornell, among others, n.d., Courtesy of the artist.
(left to right) Marisol and Andy Warhol at the opening of John Willenbecher's 1963 solo exhibition at Feigen Herbert Gallery, New York. Photo by Adelaide de Menil. Courtesy of the artist.
(left to right) Henry Geldzahler and Donald Judd at the opening of John Willenbecher's 1963 solo exhibition at Feigen Herbert Gallery, New York. Photo by Adelaide de Menil. Courtesy of the artist.
Installation view of exhibition John Willenbecher, Richard Feigen Gallery, New York, 1967. Courtesy of the artist.
John Willenbecher with "Unknown Game #3" in his apartment at 15 W. 68th Street, New York, c. 1963. Courtesy of the artist.
Installation view, John Willenbecher, Everyone Museum of Art, March-May, 1965. Courtesy of John Willenbecher. Courtesy of the artist.
Art dealer Michael Findlay and John Willenbecher at Richard Feigen Gallery, c. 1966. Photo: William S. Wilson © The Estate of William S. Wilson. Artwork: Clyfford Still, PH-1074, 1956 © City & County of Denver, Courtesy Clyfford Still Museum / DACS 2024
(left to right) Elayne Varian and John Willenbecher, Art In Process: The Visual Development of Structure, Finch College Museum of Art, New York, 1966. Courtesy of the artist.
John Willenbecher in his studio, Sept. 4, 1967, 219 7th Avenue, New York. Courtesy of the artist.
Installation view, John Willenbecher, Everyone Museum of Art, March-May, 1965. Courtesy of the artist.
(left to right) Robert Rosenblum, Hermine Chivian-Cobb, John Willenbecher at Willenbecher's 15 W. 68th Street apartment, New York. Courtesy of the artist.