Ed Clark is an abstract expressionist painter famous for his powerful brush stroke, large canvases, and use of vibrant color. His process consists of pouring paint onto a canvas and guiding the wet paint with anything from a push-broom to his bare hands.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1926, Ed Clark served in the US Army for two years and then formally began studying art at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1947 until 1951. Clark continued his studies at the L’Academie de la Grande Chaumiere in Paris, and while in Paris his work evolved from figurative to abstraction. After several years abroad, Clark returned to the US settling in New York. It is at this time that Clark began working with shaped canvas, an innovation that influenced contemporary art through the 1950s and 1960s.
Today Clark resides in both Paris and New York. His long career can boast famous collections at universities and museums around the world. Moreover, he has received international accolades for over five decades, and his awards include the National Endowment for the Arts, the Prix d’Othon Friez, Musee du Louvre, Paris, France, the Adolph Gottlieb Award and the Congressional Achievement Award.