| Arthur Kraft | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Arthur M. Kraft |
| Born | 1922 Kansas City, Missouri |
| Died | 1977 Kansas City, Missouri |
| Nationality | American |
| Field | Painting, Drawing, Sculpture |
| Training | Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City Art Institute, Yale University |
| Movement | Expressionism |
Arthur M. Kraft (1922–1977) was an American painter, sculptor and muralist. A native of Kansas City, Kraft was a member of the expressionist movement.
Arthur Kraft’s formal art training started with Saturday-morning classes at the Nelson Gallery of Art and by the age of 13 he was selling his work at local art fairs. Upon graduating from Southwest High School Kraft continued to pursue the arts at the Kansas City Art Institute and later at Yale University’s School of Fine Arts. After serving in the Army during World War II, he returned to Yale to finish his degree. In 1946 after winning the Audubon Artist Society national painting award Kraft was propelled onto the national scene. Highly regarded in the artistic community, his art was exhibited in one-man showings at the Salon de Jean Cocteau, Paris, Jacques Seligmann & Company, New York, and the Landau Galleries, Los Angeles. Kraft’s work was also installed in several locations across the United States.
In 1958 Kraft illustrated his long time friend Lon Amick’s widely acclaimed book “The Divine Journey: A Guide to Spiritual Understanding.”
One of Kraft's best known works is the Court of the Penguins displayed at Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza. The five-foot bronze sculptures were reproduced in 1979 from miniatures that originally stood three to four inches tall. Kraft also designed a mosaic for the downtown Kansas City Public Library. The mural features a bold lion, a polar bear, a giraffe and several penguins and exemplifies his trademark use of color. Kraft's sculpture of three figures, entitled "Family," was dedicated at the Commerce Building in 1961, and was re-installed at the Executive Plaza Office Building at 720 Main in 1989.
Kraft spent most of his life in Kansas City and continued to make art, even during his long bout with cancer. His final work was a mural for the waiting room of the Veteran's Hospital in Topeka, which he finished just before he died.
Since his death Kraft’s legacy has continued to play a large role in the life of artists, especially those in Kansas City. In 2007 Betty Brand established the “Arthur Kraft Memorial Scholarship for the Visual Arts” with the Metropolitan Community College (Kansas City).