Louis K. Meisel

Louis K. Meisel (born 1942 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American author, art dealer and proponent^[1] of the photorealist art movement, having coined the term in 1969.^[2][3] He is also the owner of one of the earliest art galleries in SoHo at 141 Prince Street. In addition to Photorealism, Meisel is responsible for the resurgence of interest in the sub-set of American illustration identified as "Pin-up", and is the largest collector of original art of both genres. The Meisel Gallery contains one of the largest collections of pin-up art in the world.^[4] Meisel operates another gallery with business partner Frank Bernarducci, the Bernarducci Meisel Gallery at 37 West 57th Street in Manhattan.^[5]

Photorealism

Photorealism as defined by Meisel is the creation of paintings fashioned in such a way as to appear to be photographs in their finished forms. Meisel defined the qualities of photorealist as one who:

1. The photorealist uses the camera and photograph to gather information.
2. The photorealist uses a mechanical or semimechanical means to transfer the information to the canvas.
3. The photorealist must have the technical ability to make the finished work appear photographic.
4. The artist must have exhibited work as a photorealist by 1972 to be considered one of the central photorealists.
5. The artist must have devoted at least five years to the development and exhibition of photorealist work.

Published works

Meisel has published sixteen books on the topic of photorealism as well as pin up art, including:

• Nathan Wasserberger (1964)
• Photorealism (1980) ISBN 0-8109-1464-6
• Richard Estes: The Complete Paintings, 1966-1985 (1986) ISBN 0-8109-0881-6
• Charles Bell: The Complete Works 1970-1990 (1991) ISBN 0-8109-3114-1
• Photorealism Since 1980 (1993) ISBN 0-8109-3720-4
• The Great American Pin-Up (1996) ISBN 3-8228-8497-9
• Pin-Up Poster Book: The Edward Runci Collection (1997) ISBN 1-888054-15-8
• Clarice Cliff:The Bizarre Affair (1998) ISBN 0-8109-2323-8
• Photorealism at the Millennium (2002) ISBN 0-8109-3483-3
• Mel Ramos Pop Art Fantasies: The Complete Paintings (2004) ISBN 0-8230-4093-3
• Gil Elvgren: All His Glamorous American Pin-Ups (2008) ISBN 3-8365-0305-0
• Photorealism In The Digital Age (2013) - in press

In addition to the above, Meisel has contributed to dozens of art magazines^[6] and is a member of the Authors Guild.

The Louis K. Meisel Gallery

The Louis K. Meisel Gallery exhibits^[7] and sells the works of prominent photorealist artists such as:

John Baeder Robert Bechtle Charles Bell Roberto Bernardi Tom Blackwell Hilo Chen Chuck Close Robert Cottingham Don Eddy

Richard Estes Ralph Goings Clive Head John Kacere Ron Kleemann Richard McLean Robert Neffson John Salt Raphaella Spence

Classical music

Meisel also promotes classical music artists and is on the boards of Pro Musicis^[8] and Concert Artists Guild.^[9] Meisel and his wife Susan host classical music salon concerts at the Louis K. Meisel Gallery and at other venues such as the Parrish Art Museum in Watermill, New York.

References

Notes

1. In The Real Art World Blog: http://intherealartworld.blogspot.com/2009/11/louis-k-meisel-40-years-of-photorealism.html
2. Meisel Gallery Home Page: http://www.meiselgallery.com/lkmg/publications/
3. The Weeks Gallery: http://weeksgallery.sunyjcc.edu/collection_highlights
4. Great American Pinup: http://www.greatamericanpinup.com/GAP/gallery/
5. Deutsche Bank Article: http://www.db-artmag.de/en/54/feature/really-nice-guys-louis-k.-meisel-on-photorealisms-beginnings/
6. Author's Guild: http://members.authorsguild.net/louiskmeisel/bio.htm
7. Louis K. Miesel Gallery Exhibits: http://www.meiselgallery.com/LKMG/artists/
8. Pro Musicis - Board Members and Staff
9. Concert Artists Guild - Board of Directors

External links

• The Louis K. Meisel Gallery