R B Kitaj, b. 1932

• Biography

  Attribute	Value
  Biography	Kitaj was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA of Russian-Jewish and Viennese descent. He worked as a seaman before training as an artist at Cooper Union in New York. He also studied in Vienna and travelled throughout Europe. After service in the US Army he came to England to study at Ruskin School in Oxford and then at Royal College of Art. Kitaj taught at the Camberwell School of Art 1962-1966, then at the University of California, Berkeley 1970-1971. His work was innovative and unconventional and influenced David Hockney. In 1963 he held his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. After teaching in London he became a Guest Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. After the death of his first wife he married the American painter Sandra Fisher. Following a visit to Paris in 1975 he was inspired by Degas' use of pastel and much of his work in succeeding years was in this medium. In 1976 there was an exhibition of his work at the Hayward Gallery in London. In 1984 he became an associate of the Royal Academy followed in 1991 by being elected a Royal Academician. There was a retrospective exhibition of his work at the Tate Gallery in 1994. One of his works, 'Sandra Three' was the star exhibit at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition in 1997. He now lives in United States of America.
  Education	Cooper Union, New York, 1950-1951 Vienna, 1951-1952 Ruskin School of Drawing, Oxford, 1953-1959
  Employment	Designed posters for London Transport, 1992 Royal College of Art, 1959-1961
  Role	Artist,