Johan Sellenraad
web site - johansellenraad.com / e-mail - johansellenraad@gmail.com
Born and grew up in the Netherlands. At age 15 moved to the US.
Education: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, BFA in Drawing and Painting and MFA in Painting and art history from the University of Chicago.
Taught: Painting, Drawing, Figure Drawing, Design & Art History at Roosevelt University, Chicago; Painting at the Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago;
Figure Drawing at Parsons School of Design, NYC ; and Drawing, Painting & Art History at the Brooklyn Campus of Long Island University.
Lives & works in New York City and Milanville, PA.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS -
1999 & 2006 Delaware Valley Arts Alliance Gallery, Narrowsburg, NY - “Johan Sellenraad-Paintings”
2003 Caelum Gallery, Chelsea, NYC - “Johan Sellenraad - Painting is Back”
2000 Long Island University, Brooklyn - “Johan Sellenraad - "Heads & Then Some”
1990 Wayne State U., Detroit - “Johan Sellenraad - Preliminary Work; Flint Sit-Down Strike Monument.”
1979 David Findlay Gallery, NYC “Johan Sellenraad - Utah Paintings”
1974 Whitney Museum of American Art - “Johan Sellenraad; the Brooklyn Bridge; City Hall to Water Street.”
1971 Long Island University, Brooklyn - "Ann Series"
1964 John L. Hunt Gallery, Chicago - “Johan Sellenraad - Paintings”
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021 DVAA Loft Gallery, Narrowsburg NY “For the Love of Wood”
2021 Nutshell Arts, Lake Huntington NY - “The Last Picture Show”
2018 DVAA Loft Gallery, Narrowsburg, NY - “The Model Show” & “Art in the Sixes”
2018-2023 Brooklyn Historical Society, Dumbo, Brooklyn NY - "Waterfront"
2017 DVAA Gallery, Narrowsburg, NY - "Duets"
2015-2018 DVAA Gallery, Narrowsburg, NY - Multiple Group Shows.
1996-2019 Nutshell Arts, Lake Huntington, NY - many major Group Shows.
2000 Galerie GEE’71, Netherlands “Three New York Artists”
1999 Denise Bibro Gallery, Chelsea, NYC “Invitational”
1995 Wickers Gallery, SoHo, NYC “Group Show”
1985 Jayne Baum Gallery, Tribeca, NYC “Myths & Gods”
1985 Riverside Gallery, NYC “Public Art, WPA to the Present”
1883 Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY “The Great East River Bridge, 1883-1983”
1979 Cooper Union Gallery, NYC “Large Scale Paintings”
1979 World Trade Center, NYC “GSA Mural Projects”
1978 Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY “Personal Visions”
1978 Plaedes Gallery, NYC “the CCF Artists Project”
1977 University of Bridgeport, CT. “the Figure in Drawing”
1977 26 Federall Plaza & US Courts, NYC“OIA, Art in Public Places”
1976 Boston University Gallery, MA “America ‘76 - Source Material”
1976-78 “America ‘76” exhibition, sponsored by the US Department of the Interior, shown at:
The Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC.,
Fort Worth Art Museum,
High Museum, Atlanta,
Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, CT.,
Minneapolis Institute of Arts,
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston,
Milwaukee Art Center,
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art,
Brooklyn Museum.
1965-73 Allan Frumkin Gallery, NYC, “Nude Now”
141 Prince Street Gallery “Group Show”
1960-65 Art Institute of Chicago, Allan Frumkin Gallery, Chicago, Hyde Park Art Center,
John L. Hunt Gallery, BC Holland Gallery, Adele Rosenberg Gallery,
Loft Gallery, University of Chicago, De Paul University,
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
PUBLIC ART COMMISSIONS -
1991 (City of) Phoenix Arts Commission, Phoenix, AZ - at Royal Palm School -
A 13’ x 44’ mural celebrating the history of Phoenix.
An outdoor work consisting of a man made island with an concrete block structure
that supports the mural, a functional amphitheater, planting and irrigation rerouting.
Designed and painted by the artist, with various contractors for the building parts.
1987 City of Flint, MI and the United Auto Workers Union - in Downtown Flint park.
An outdoor Monument commemorating the 1936 Flint Sit-Down Strike.
Includes a concrete factory style structure with four 8’x11” ceramic tile murals,
concrete replica 1936 Chevy seats and bronze hinges used as strike ammunition.
Made in collaboration with Powabic Pottery of Detroit and various contractors.
1981 Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), NYC - (a CCF Artists Project).
A ceramic tile mural for the “Clark Street” subway station in Brooklyn,
an early subway station renovation In collaboration with ceramicist Joe Stallone.
1980 Long Island Historical Society, Brooklyn, NY- (a CCF Artists Project)
“Brooklyn Industrial Buildings 1850-1920” , a documentary watercolor drawing series.
1974 US Department of Interior - “Canyonlands” a 7’x14’ painting commission for
“America ‘76” a Bi-Centennial Exhibition shown in 9 coast to coast Museums.
PUBLIC ART PANELS etc. -
Smithsonian sponsored “Art & Labor Conference” Detroit Institute of Art, 1990
“Urbanology Conference” Wayne State University, Detroit, 1989
Various panel discussions on Public Art, NYC, 1980s
Public Artist, Cultural Council Foundation Artists Project, NYC, 1978-1980
Co-Founder & Exhibitions Director, Organization of Independent Artists, NYC,
GRANTS -
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Painting, 1975.
Artist-in-Residencies: National Parks, Palisades Park, Floyd Bennett Field and Lexington NY.
Artist with the CETA funded Cultural Council Foundation Artists Project, NYC 1980-82
SELECTED PRESS -
2015 “Meet Johan Sellenraad” , Zoe Hecht, Artsletter, DVAA, Sullivan County, NY
2006 “100 New York Painters”, Cynthia Dantzic, A Schiffer Book
1996 “Sellenraad, Cibula and Kline exhibit ‘New Paintings’ at Nutshell, River Reporter.
1994 “Monument falls on hard times”, Tom Wickman, Flint Journal.
1992 “Public Art Works; The Arizona Models”, Phoenix Arts Commission.
1991 “Sellenraad Completes Mural for Royal Palm School”, Phoenix Arts.
1991 “Mural portrays Valley’s past and future” Ryan Konig, Arizona Republic.
1988 “Johan Sellenraad Solidarity Forever” Sculpture.
1988 “Sit-Down”, Art, Roslyn Bernstein, The Village Voice.
1988 “Pewabic Tiles Depict the Great Sit-Down Strike of ’36”, Jenny King, The Arts in MI.
1988 “Painting the Town Red” Ruth Eckdish Knack, Planning.
1987 “Thousands Gather to Celebrate Strike Anniversary”, Dan Shriner, Ann Arbor News.
1987 “Artist Slowly Creates Flint UAW Mural”, Greg Braknis, Flint Journal.
1987 “Non-Union Artist Making Mural Honoring UAW”, Greg Braknis, Flint Journal.
1987 “A Striking Place”, Jacqueline Boyle, Detroit Free Press.
1987 “Murals Memorialize GM’s Sit-Down Strikes”, Jenny King, The Detroit News.
1987 “Striking Art”, The Wall Street Journal.
1986 “Placemakers”, Ron Fleming, Renata von Tscharner, Townscape Institute.
1883 “Brooklyn Bridge Turns 100”, Hank Gallo, New York Daily News.
1983 "The Great East River Bridge; 1883-1983”, exhibition catalog, Brooklyn Museum.
1981 “Art Goes Underground”, Deborah Gardner, New York Daily News.
1976 “America ‘76” exhibition catalog, US Department of the Interior, Washington, DC.
1974 “Johan Sellenraad, The Brooklyn Bridge; City Hall to Water St.”,
- exhibition catalog- Whitney Museum of American Art with introductions essays by Marcia Tuicker and Johan Sellenraad.
1974 “New York Artist Paints His Moby Dick”, Diana Loercher, Christian Science Monitor
1974 “Gapping the Bridge”, Best Bets, Ellen Stock, New York Magazine.
1974 “Sellenraad”, Art Press.
TV & NPR -
1991 Phoenix, AZ., TV & radio Phoenix project coverage.
1987 Detroit & Flint, TV Flint “Sit-Down Strike Monument” coverage.
1981 NYC, WOR-TV & WPIX-TV, “New York Apple Polishers”, Independent Network News.