Norman Bluhm (1921-1999) was an American Abstract Expressionist painter known for his bold and colorful canvases. Born into a Jewish family in Chicago, Bluhm studied architecture at the Armour (now Illinois) Institute of Technology and served as a pilot in World War II before moving to Paris in 1948 to study art at the École des Beaux-Arts. In 1956 he moved back to the United States and entered into the New York art scene.
Bluhm's work has been critically praised and his works are in the collections of many major museums. His career is marked by notable stylistic shifts as he continually challenged himself to reach new areas of artistic achievements based on his profound knowledge of art and art history, use of the human figure, color, and a passion for life. Although his style changed dramatically over time, he remained deeply interested in gestural abstraction and the ethos of Abstract Expressionism.
Bluhm's time as a pilot exposed him to the dynamic interplay of space, movement, and energy, which he would later channel into his abstract paintings. He often spoke about how his experience of flying at high altitudes, with the earth and sky spread out below him, inspired his interest in capturing the feeling of weightlessness and expansiveness in his art.
In the 1950s, Bluhm became associated with the New York School of Abstract Expressionists, and his work was exhibited alongside that of artists like Willem de Kooning, Elaine de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Franz Kline. Bluhm's paintings of this period were characterized by their large, gestural brushstrokes and vibrant colors, often applied in multiple layers to create complex and dynamic compositions.