Wayne Thiebaud
Wayne Thiebaud was an influential American artist, renowned for his vibrant still-life paintings that often depicted everyday objects such as desserts, toys, and household items. Born on November 15, 1920, in Mesa, Arizona, Thiebaud spent much of his early life in Southern California, where his artistic interests were initially inspired by cartoons. His early career included work as a Disney animator before he pursued formal education in art at institutions like California State University, Sacramento. Over his extensive career, he developed a signature style characterized by thick layers of bright paint and outlines that gave his subjects a striking sense of light and shadow.
Thiebaud's work is frequently associated with pop art, though he personally distanced himself from that label, preferring to emphasize the traditional brush techniques and composition found in classic painting. His significant contributions to the art world earned him numerous accolades, including the U.S. National Medal of Arts. Beyond his artistic achievements, Thiebaud was a dedicated educator at the University of California, Davis, where he taught for over three decades, influencing many new artists. He passed away on Christmas Day in 2021, leaving a lasting legacy in both the art community and academia.
Wayne Thiebaud
Artist, educator
- Born: November 15, 1920
- Place of Birth: Mesa, Arizona
- Died: December 25, 2021
- Place of Death: Sacramento, California
Place of birth: Mesa, Arizona
Education:California State University, Sacramento
Significance: Wayne Thiebaud was an artist with a long career spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. He was best known for his colorful still-life paintings of common objects such as toys and food, especially desserts. His life’s work also included landscapes and portraits.
Background
Morton Wayne Thiebaud was born on November 15, 1920, in Mesa Arizona. His family moved to southern California during his first year of life, and he spent most of his youth there. His interest in art was awakened by cartoons and comic strips, especially Krazy Kat by George Herriman (1880 – 1944). This led to a brief career as a Disney animator in 1936 while Thiebaud was still in high school. He drew "in betweens" of characters including Goofy, Pinocchio, and Jiminy Cricket. In betweens are the images sandwiched in the middle of two key action images that make it possible for animated characters to have the appearance of smooth movement.
Within a year, Thiebaud was attending commercial art classes at the Frank Wiggins Trade School in Los Angeles. After graduating high school, he attended what is now Long Beach City College in California for two years. He served in the Army Air Force from 1942 to 1945 during World War II. For the last part of his military service, he was assigned to the Air Force Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California. Following his military service, Thiebaud worked in the Art Department of the Rexall Drug Company in Los Angeles.
By 1949, Thiebaud had enrolled in what was then San Jose State College under the GI Bill, which helped returning World War II veterans attend college. He had his first art show, Influences on a Young Painter, at the E.B. Crocker Art Gallery in Sacramento in 1950. Thiebaud transferred to California State University at Sacramento in 1950 and was awarded a bachelor’s degree in 1951 and a master’s degree in 1952. He then taught art from 1957 – 1958. While on a leave from teaching, he met the famous artists Elaine de Kooning (1818 – 1989), Willem de Kooning (1904 – 1997), Franz Kline (1910 – 1962), Barnett Newman (1905 – 1970) and others in New York City. These artists exposed him to pop-art styles, with which he began to experiment.
In 1960, Thiebaud became an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis. He continued to teach there until he retired in 1991.
Life’s Work
After his exposure to pop-art in New York City, Thiebaud began experimenting with the thick paint techniques they used but chose a different style and subject matter. He painted everyday objects, such as toys, household objects, jukeboxes, and especially desserts like cakes and pies, using thick layers of vibrant, bright colors against simple backgrounds, which were often white or pale colored. To further elevate his simple subjects, Thiebaud outlined them in bright halos of color that gave the impression of light and shadow around them. By 1960, he had developed a signature style of painting, and a few years later, his creations were exhibited in solo shows in New York City and San Francisco.
Some of his best known still-life paintings include Three Machines (1963), which shows three gumball machines, Toy Counter (1970 – 1971) which features toys such as teddy bears and balls lined up for sale, and Three Treats, (c. 1975 – 1976) which showcases only a trio of cupcakes.
Thiebaud also began painting landscapes of southern California and portraits, again using thick swaths of bright pigments as he did with his pop subjects. Some of his most famous works include Unfinished Portrait of Betty Jean (no date), Grey City (2000 – 2010) and Yosemite(1969 – 2010).
Thiebaud is often classified as a pop artist, but he declines the label. Like pop artists, he paints common subjects, but his art combines more of the brush technique, composition, and juxtaposition of light and dark that characterizes the painting masters from two centuries ago. His work has earned him numerous awards, including the Grumbacher Gold Medallion Award for Painting from the American Academy of Design, New York, (1993) the U.S. National Medal of Arts (1994), the Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award from the National Arts Club, New York, (1996), and the University of California, Davis Chancellor’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Innovation (2016.)
After teaching for more than thirty years at the University of California, Davis, Thiebaud is a professor emeritus. He has also donated a number of his paintings to the university, including several donated in mid-2016 for part of the exhibit in the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art on the campus.
Impact
In addition to being an award-winning painter, Thiebaud was a dedicated art professor who continued to teach even after retiring. Thiebaud inspired generations of new artists to find their own unique and innovative way to make art.
Personal
Thiebaud was married twice. He married Patricia Patterson in 1943. They had two children, including eldest daughter Twinka Thiebaud, born in 1945, who became a writer and a model. He later married Betty Jean Carr, a filmmaker, and adopted her son, Matthew. Thiebaud and Carr had two children together, including art dealer Paul LeBaron Thiebaud (1960 – 2010). Thiebaud lived in Sacramento, California, until his death in 2021. He died on Christmas Day at the age of 101.
Bibliography
Cheline, AJ. "Renowned Artist and Professor Emeritus Receives UC Davis Chancellor’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Innovation." University of California, Davis, June 2016, www.ucdavis.edu/news/renowned-artist-and-professor-emeritus-receives-uc-davis-chancellors-lifetime-achievement. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Kimmelman, Michael. “Wayne Thiebaud, Playful Painter of the Everyday, Dies at 101." The New York Times, 26 Dec. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/12/26/obituaries/wayne-thiebaud-dead.html. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
McGuigan, Cathleen. "Wayne Thiebaud Is Not a Pop Artist." Smithsonian.com, Feb. 2011, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/wayne-thiebaud-is-not-a-pop-artist-57060/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Nikos-Rose, Karen. "Wayne Thiebaud Donates Major Works of Art to New UC Davis Museum." University of California, Davis, June 2016, www.ucdavis.edu/news/wayne-thiebaud-donates-major-works-art-new-uc-davis-museum. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
"Wayne Thiebaud." Artnet, www.artnet.com/artists/wayne-thiebaud/. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.