biography of Alexander Raymond KATZ (1895-1974)

Birth place: Kassa, Hungary

Death place: Miami Beach, FL

Addresses: Chicago, IL; NYC

Profession: Painter, lecturer

Studied: AIC; Acad. Fine Arts, Chicago.

Exhibited: S. Indp. A., 1928; PAFA, 1934; BM, 1934; CGA, 1939; Ferargil Gal., 1940; CM, 1940; GGE, 1939; LACMA, 1945; SFMA, 1945; NAD, 1944-45; Albany Inst. Hist & A., 1945; Chicago Room, 1946 (solo); Milwaukee AI, 1941-42, 1944; Evanston Mus. FA, 1937 (solo); Univ. Arkansas, 1941 (solo); Springfield Mus. (solo); Carnegie Inst. Int., 1941; AIC, 1930, 1934-37, 1939-40, 1944, 1946 (solo); PAFA Ann., 1960; solo shows, Jewish Mus., NYC, 1956 & Mus. Sierkunst, Ghent, Belg., 1963; Mus. Contemp. Crafts, 1962; Caravan De France, NYC, 1970s. Awards: Evanston AA, 1944 (prize); first prize for poster, Century of Progress, 1934; Mississippi Art Assn., 1944 (first prize).

Member: Nat. Soc. Mural Painters (bd. dirs.); AEA (bd. dirs.); hon. mem. Hudson Valley Art League; Chicago SA; Around-the-Palette; Illinois SA.

Work: murals, Elizabeth YMHA; Downtown Temple, Chicago; Butler Inst. Am. A.; Evansville Mus., IN; Caravan France, NYC; Ghent Mus. Coll., Oak Park Temple. Commissions: off mural of Century of Progress, 1933-34; mural, "History of the Immigrant," Madison Post Off., IL, 1936; Ten Commandments frescoes, 1936; exterior murals, Temple Beth-El, Baltimore; stained glass windows (with Alfonso Ianelli & Don Benardon), Vaughn Army Hosp, IL; stained glass, Anshe Emet Temple, Vaughan Army Hospital, Ner Tamid Temple, Chicago; Auditorium Hotel, Will Rogers Theatre, both in Chicago; North Shore Temple, Glencoe, IL; St. Joseph, MI.

Comments: WPA muralist. Preferred media: casein, oils. Positions: dir. poster dept., Paramount, Chicago, 1926-31; mem. art staff, Chicagoan Mag., 1928-31; dir. posters, Chicago Civic Opera, 1930-33; asst. dir. posters, Century of Progress, 1933-34. Teaching: lettering asst. to Fayerweather Babcock, 1924-26; master craftsman, Ninth Naval Diat.; instr. painting, Evanston Art League, 1946. Publications: auth., "Black on White," 1933; "The Ten Commandments,"1946; auth., "A New Art for an Old Religion," third ed., L.M. Stein, 1946; auth., "Adventures in Casein," Bks. Int., 1951; auth., "Holidays and Festivals,"Crown, 1960; auth., "Seven Names," 1969 & "Song of Songs," 1970-71, A.R. Fine arts.

Sources: WW73; WW47; Robert Andrews, Corner of Chicago; Alfred Werner, Adventures in Casein; Mar Dulac, "A. Raymond Katz, Master of Mixed Techniques," Am. Artist, 1969; Falk, Exh. Record Series.