International architecture firm, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) will be presenting a selection of Chairman and Founder A. Eugene Kohn’s watercolors at The Galleries at 153 East 53rd Street in New York City this summer. Opening on Monday, July 2nd and on view through the end of August, the exhibition will feature highlights of Kohn’s work from the 1950’s through today.
Kohn paints primarily in watercolor with a range of subjects – cityscapes, landscapes, still life and abstract. Much of his work is done when he travels in foreign countries, and he frequently gives them as gifts or donates them to charity auctions. His watercolors have previously been displayed at the Guggenheim Museum in a show for the works of well-known architects, as well as an exhibition in Hong Kong last year, and are shown at Belgravia Gallery in London. Kohn’s fascination with painting began when he was a young boy sitting by his mother’s side while she painted. Hannah Kohn was an accomplished painter in her own right, and also had a show at the Guggenheim Museum on the occasion of her 100th birthday.
According to Kohn, “It’s not about being an artist – painting is something that I delight in and do purely for the joy of it. I paint to relax and to express strong feelings about certain subjects. A building can take five to ten years to complete, while a watercolor can be done in a few hours.”
Gallery owner Meredith Ward adds, "Gene Kohn’s watercolors have an elegant simplicity. He uses the unique qualities of the medium to greatest advantage by approaching his subjects with a minimum of means. A few quick strokes convey the energy of a bustling cityscape; a broad wash of color suggests the vastness of sea and sky."
The opening of the exhibition coincides with the firm’s 36th anniversary. KPF was founded by Kohn, William Pedersen, and Sheldon Fox in New York on July 4th, 1976. With over 550 employees, the firm is headquartered in the historic 11 West 42nd Street building, overlooking Bryant Park and the New York Public Library. +
Related Stories
Data Centers | Apr 14, 2023
JLL's data center outlook: Cloud computing, AI driving exponential growth for data center industry
According to JLL’s new Global Data Center Outlook, the mass adoption of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) is driving exponential growth for the data center industry, with hyperscale and edge computing leading investor demand.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 13, 2023
Healthcare construction costs for 2023
Data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a three-story hospital across 10 U.S. cities.
Higher Education | Apr 13, 2023
Higher education construction costs for 2023
Fresh data from Gordian breaks down the average cost per square foot for a two-story college classroom building across 10 U.S. cities.
K-12 Schools | Apr 13, 2023
Creating a sense of place with multipurpose K-12 school buildings
Multipurpose buildings serve multiple program and functional requirements. The issue with many of these spaces is that they tend not to do any one thing well.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 13, 2023
Urgent care facilities: Intentional design for mental and behavioral healthcare
The emergency department (ED) is the de-facto front door for behavior health crises, and yet these departments are understaffed, overwhelmed, and ill-equipped to navigate the layered complexities of highly demanding physical and behavioral health needs.
Office Buildings | Apr 13, 2023
L.A. headquarters for startup Califia Farms incorporates post-pandemic hybrid workplace design concepts
The new Los Angeles headquarters for fast-growing Califia Farms, a brand of dairy alternative products, was designed by SLAM with the post-Covid hybrid work environment in mind. Located in Maxwell Coffee House, a historic production facility built in 1924 that has become a vibrant mixed-use complex, the office features a café bordered by generous meeting rooms.
Urban Planning | Apr 12, 2023
Watch: Trends in urban design for 2023, with James Corner Field Operations
Isabel Castilla, a Principal Designer with the landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations, discusses recent changes in clients' priorities about urban design, with a focus on her firm's recent projects.
3D Printing | Apr 11, 2023
University of Michigan’s DART Laboratory unveils Shell Wall—a concrete wall that’s lightweight and freeform 3D printed
The University of Michigan’s DART Laboratory has unveiled a new product called Shell Wall—which the organization describes as the first lightweight, freeform 3D printed and structurally reinforced concrete wall. The innovative product leverages DART Laboratory’s research and development on the use of 3D-printing technology to build structures that require less concrete.
Market Data | Apr 11, 2023
Construction crane count reaches all-time high in Q1 2023
Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Denver top the list of U.S/Canadian cities with the greatest number of fixed cranes on construction sites, according to Rider Levett Bucknall's RLB Crane Index for North America for Q1 2023.
University Buildings | Apr 11, 2023
Supersizing higher education: Tracking the rise of mega buildings on university campuses
Mega buildings on higher education campuses aren’t unusual. But what has been different lately is the sheer number of supersized projects that have been in the works over the last 12–15 months.