jon schueler | six west coast works

As part of our 20th anniversary celebrations, we are delighted to be showing six west coast works by the late abstract expressionist painter Jon Schueler (1916-1992). In 2016, Resipole Studios was chosen as the venue to host Sea To Sky, an exhibition of Schueler’s west coast of Scotland works, marking the centenary of the artist’s birth, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to show further works by the artist. 

Jon Schueler was an American painter who bridged the gap between Abstract Expressionism and landscape. Born in Milwaukee, his early life took him through studies in economics and English literature, even a stint as a writer, before World War II turned him towards the skies as a B-17 navigator. This experience, along with the vastness of his Wisconsin upbringing, would inform his artistic focus on the drama of the heavens.

A late bloomer to the art world, Schueler began painting at 29 in San Francisco. Here, he fell under the wing of the Abstract Expressionist giant Clyfford Still. Encouraged by Still, he moved to New York in the early 1950s, immersing himself in the vibrant Abstract Expressionist scene alongside figures like Rothko and Pollock. 

However, in 1957, a trip to Scotland would forever change Schueler’s artistic direction. The brooding skies and wild landscapes of the Sound of Sleat captured his imagination. He settled there, in the hamlet of Mallaig Bheag, painting not literal landscapes but abstract interpretations that evoked the power and emotion of the place. 

Though recognised as a second-generation Abstract Expressionist, Schueler’s work transcended the movement, becoming a unique blend of abstraction and the grandeur of nature. His paintings are now part of prestigious collections around the world.

With thanks to the Jon Schueler Charitable Trust.

View a digital catalogue here.