Artist: Vincent Pepi (1926 - )
Nationality: American
Movement: abstract expressionism
Media: painting
Influences:

Biography:
Vincent Pepi studied at the High School of Music and Art, Cooper Union and Pratt Institute. These studies combined with his travels to Africa and Mexico, covinced him of the over- whelming importance of Europe for the development of American art. In 1949 Pepi went directly to the source-Rome- at the same time that the Abstract Expressioniat movement began at home. Three years later, in 1951, Pepi joined with many of the innovators of Action Painting in New York City. Upon his return to the United States, the artist studied briefly with Hans Hofmann, painting works parallel with Pollock, DeKooning, Kline, Marcarelli and others.Like so many others, he felt Surrealism's impact, adapting automatic techniques and transforming them into his own kind of gesture painting. Along with other first generation Abstract Expressionists, he showed his work at the Stable Gallery in 1953 and at the March Gallery on Tenth Street, from 1955 till its closing in 1960. Pepi separated himself from other artists of his time, since he felt uncomfortable with the New York /Art Scene/, and was never certain where he fit in. ( though its clear from today's vantage point that he fit right in the center.} He attended the /Club/ from time to time, but preferred his own studio and a more solitary existence. A graphics business which he created permitted him to live and paint, freeing him from the necessity of regularly exhibiting his work. Pepi's art certainly posseses affinities with other New York School Action Painters, but retains its own uniqueness. His choice to live in Italy from 1949-51, during a crucial time in the formation of the New York School , as well as his preference for painting in a consistently smaller format, may have obscured the recognition and fame that otherwise might have been his. The artist's acknowledged sources range from old masters to the Futurists (especially Boccioni and Balla) : from Klee and Kandinsky to Matta, Gorky and Pepi's contemporaries. His academically trained teacher in Italy, Beppe Guzzi, helped him to incoroporate rigorous discipline into his painting, as well as introducing him to a number of important Italian painters and sculptors. Like Pollock and other Abstract Expressionists he admires, Pepi has always loved music, particularly jazz, going as far as learning to play the tenor saxaphone. Color and music appear parallel to him: the artist/ musician improvises with both. And so it follows that Pepi's own automatic painting and line poems/ are reminiscent of works by Paul Klee, with the latter's powerful equations of color, line and music. Pepi defines himself as an academic artist, but one who felt he had to take that /main highway between Cezanne and Kandinsky/. His paintings do indeed, reveal a Cezanne-like underpining of abstract structure, while adopting the free improvisatory phase of Kandinsky at the same time. It is the revelation of the unconscious that Pepi seeks in his work. He wants his work to be spontaneous and uncontrived. Pepi loves Gorky's work. Like Gorky, he is pleased when metamorphosis in art occurs and a leaf turns into a bird, which then becomes part of a face. While he does not set about planning for or searching for images, it is okay with him when they occur. When I met Pepi, he had just heard Bela Bartok's Piano Concerto, composed in 1926, the year of his own birth. It /knocked him out/ he told me, and it is clear why. The classical, yet abstract, sometimes tonal and sometimes atonal music of Bartok still sounds modern to us today. The same can be said for the paintings of Vincent Pepi. Greta Berman, Author, Art Historian, Julliard School of Music,New York

Artworks in Museum Collections: (100)
Click the artwork titles below to see actual examples of artwork or works of art relevant to works by Vincent Pepi.

Museum of Fine Arts -
Lid of the coffin of Pepi Seneb Egyptian First Intermediate Period, Dynasty 9, about 2130-1980
Museum of Fine Arts -
Hunting relief of Qar and Idu Egyptian Old Kingdom, Dynasty 6, reign of Pepi I
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Alex Katz - Ada and Vincent in the Car 1972 oil on canvas Hirshhorn Museum American
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Georges Pierre Seurat - Rue St. Vincent c. 1884 oil on panel The Fitzwilliam Museum French
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Francesco del Cossa - Saint Vincent Ferrer c. 1473-1475 egg tempera on popla The National Gallery, London Italian
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Alex Katz - Large Head of Vincent 1982 aquatint Hofstra Museum American
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Scenes from the Passion of Saint Vincent of Saragossa and the History of His Relics,
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Whitlingham near Norwich George Vincent (British, 1796-1831)Oil on canvas; 25 1/4 x 36 in. (64.1
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Vincent Longo Untitled pen and black ink 1954
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Madame Ingouf, ca. 1790 Vincent (French, active about 1790)Ivory; Diameter 4 1/8 in. (105 mm)Bequest
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WH "a Master Craftsman" (Mr. F. Vincent Brooks), Men of the Day No. 2290, from Vanity Fair Supplement Lithograph 1912
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Vincent Perez Man, Thinking Woodcut 1966
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Irises, ca. 1890 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 29 x 36 1/4 in.
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Roger Herman VIncent and Gauguin Woodcut, printed in red 1984
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1889 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 28 3/4 x
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Jacobus Coelemans Portrait of Vincent Boyer 17th - 18th century
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Camillo Tinti S. Vincentius A Paulo (St. Vincent de Paul) Engraving 18th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Sunflowers, 1887 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 17 x 24 in. (43.2 x
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts -
Artist: Mark Beard and New York: Vincent Fitz Gerald Title: Plate from the book Utah
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Peasant Woman Cooking by a Fireplace, 1885 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 17
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Francois-Andre Vincent Woman at Window drawing 18th - 19th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Portrait of a Woman as Diana, 1760s Attributed to Arnaud Vincent de Montpetit (French, 1713-1800)Verre
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William Vincent Virgin and Child with St. John Mezzotint 17th century
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Charles Turner The Reverand William Vincent, Dean of Westminster mezzotint 1811
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John Cochran John Jervis, Earl of St. Vincent 19th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle) (Augustine-Alix Pellicot Roulin, 1851-1930), 1889 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch,
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Adolphe ThÈodore Jules Martial Potemont Le Cimetiere St. Vincent Etchings 19th century
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Vincent Brooks Day & Son Statesman No. 44 - Sir Robert Peel form Vanity Fair, March 19, 1870 Lithograph 1870
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Vincent Le Sueur Hercule Gauloius or l'Eloquence engraving and chiaroscuro woodcut 17th - 18th century
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Vincent Le Sueur Hercule Gauloius or l'Eloquence engraving and chiaroscuro woodcut 17th - 18th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1810 Vincent Bertrand (French, born 1770, died after 1817)Ivory; 4
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Self-portrait with a Straw Hat; (verso) The Potato Peeler Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on
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Francois-Andre Vincent Left profile portrait of an Old Woman drawing: black chalk 18th - 19th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Portrait of a Woman, ca. 1810 Vincent Bertrand (French, born 1770, died after 1817)Ivory; Oval,
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Simon FranÁois Vincent de Paul, plate at p. 7 in the book, Les Hommes illustres qui ont paru en France pendant ce siËcle (Paris: Antoine Dezallier, 1700), vol. 2 engraving 1700
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Olive Orchard, 1889 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 28 5/8 x 36 1/4
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Giovanni Girolamo Frezza Pope Innocent XII, after Ludovicus David, engraved by Hubertus Vincent 17th - 18th century
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Oleanders, 1888 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 23 3/4 x 29 in. (60.3
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
The Flowering Orchard, 1888 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 28 1/2 x 21
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Vase of Roses, 1890 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 36 5/8 x 29
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Women Picking Olives, 1889-90 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 28 5/8 x 36
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Francois-Andre Vincent Portrait of Jean A. Chaptel, Comte de Chanteloup (1756-1822) black crayon on cream laid paper circa 1795
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Road in Etten, 1881 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1891)Chalk, pencil, pastel, watercolor; 15 1/2 x
The Minneapolis Institute of Arts -
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh Title: The Olive Trees Date: 1889 Medium: oil on canvas Dimensions:
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Vincent Van Gogh - The Drinkers 1890 oil on canvas The Art Institute of Chicago Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - Roses 1890 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - Self-Portrait 1889 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - La Mousme 1888 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Sunflowers 1888 oil on canvas The National Gallery, London Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - The Diggers 1889 oil on paper lined o The Detroit Institute of Art Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Self-Portrait 1887 oil on artist's boar The Art Institute of Chicago Dutch
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Vincent Desiderio - Cockaigne 1993-2003 oil on canvas Hirshhorn Museum American
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Vincent Van gogh - Self Portrait 1887 oil on artist board, The Detroit Institute of Art Dutch
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
First Steps, after Millet, 1890 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 28 1/2 x
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Shoes, ca. 1888 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 17 3/8 x 20 7/8
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Saint Vincent, Patron Saint of Lisbon Frei Carlos (Portuguese, active second quarter 16th century); Portuguese
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Cypresses, 1889 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas; 36 3/4 x 29 1/8 in.
J. Paul Getty Museum -
Pair of Vases
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
L"Arlésienne: Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux (Marie Julien, 1848-1911), possibly 1889 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on
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Francois Andre Vincent - Democritus among the Abderitans c. 1790 oil on canvas Los Angeles County Museum of Art French
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Vincent Van Gogh - Man with a Spade, Resting 1882 chalk, pencil Arkansas Arts Center Dutch
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Frank Vincent DuMond - Garden Path 1897 oil on canvas Florence Griswold Museum American
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Vincent van Gogh - L'Alee en Automne 1885 oil on canvas laid d The Fitzwilliam Museum Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Mulberry Tree 1889 Oil on Canvas Norton Simon Museum Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Portrait of a Peasant 1888 Oil on Canvas Norton Simon Museum Dutch
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Augustus Vincent Tack - Harlan F. Stone 1944 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art American
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Vincent Van Gogh - Olive Trees 1889 oil on canvas Minneapolis Institute of Arts Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Stairway at Auvers 1890 oil on canvas Saint Louis Art Museum Dutch
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Augustus Vincent Tack - Rosa Mystica c. 1923 oil on canvas, on wo Cleveland Museum of Art American
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Vincent Van Gogh - The Plain at Auvers 1890 oil on canvas Carnegie Museum of Art Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - Adeline Ravoux 1890 oil on fabric Cleveland Museum of Art Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Undergrowth with Two Figures 1890 oil on canvas Cincinnati Art Museum Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - The Starry Night 1889 oil on canvas The Museum of Modern Art Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - The Olive Trees 1889 oil on canvas The Museum of Modern Art Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - The Poet's Garden 1888 oil on canvas The Art Institute of Chicago Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - Girl in White 1890 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - Farmhouse in Provence 1888 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - The Olive Orchard 1889 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art Dutch
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George Vincent - View in the Highlands 1827 oil on canvas The Fitzwilliam Museum British
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Vincent van Gogh - Roulin's Baby 1888 oil on canvas National Gallery of Art Dutch
Museum of Fine Arts -
Harry Aiken Vincent, American, 1864-1931 An Old Time Fishing Village about 1926 Oil on canvas
Museum of Fine Arts -
Head and upper torso of a man Egyptian Old Kingdom Dynasty 3, about 2600-2500 B.C.
J. Paul Getty Museum -
Portrait of Joseph Roulin
The Metropolitan Museum of Art -
Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, possibly 1890 Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)Oil on canvas;
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Vincent Van Gogh - Portrait of Alexander Reid c. 1887 oil on canvas Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at The University of Oklahoma Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Orphan Man with Walking Stick 1882 charcoal and graphit Smith College Museum of Art Dutch
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Francois Andre Vincent - Saint John the Evangelist 1793 oil on canvas The Detroit Institute of Art French
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Vincent Van Gogh - Portrait of the Artist's Mother 1888 Oil on Canvas Norton Simon Museum Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - Flower Beds in Holland c. 1883 oil on canvas mounte National Gallery of Art Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Hospital at Saint-Remy 1889 Oil on Canvas UCLA Hammer Museum Dutch
Museum of Fine Arts -
Augustus Vincent Tack, American, 1870-1949 Mrs. Gustave Schirmer (Grace May Tilton) 1907 Oil on canvas
Museum of Fine Arts -
Vincent Jansz. van der Vinne, Dutch, 1736-1811 Shepherd in a Landscape mid 18th–early 19th century
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Augustus Vincent Tack - Christ Carrying the Cross n.d. oil on canvas Telfair Museum of Art American
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Vincent Van gogh - Portrait of Postman Rouliln 1888 oil on canvas The Detroit Institute of Art Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Bank of the Oise at Auvers 1890 oil on canvas The Detroit Institute of Art Dutch
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George Vincent - Lock Etive, Argyllshire 1821 oil on canvas The Fitzwilliam Museum British
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Vincent Van Gogh - Portrait of Joseph Roulin 1889 oil on canvas The Museum of Modern Art Dutch
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Vincent Van Gogh - Women Crossing the Fields 1890 oil on paper The McNay Art Museum Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - The Large Plane Trees 1889 oil on canvas Cleveland Museum of Art Dutch
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Vincent van Gogh - The Poplars at Saint-Remy 1889 oil on fabric Cleveland Museum of Art Dutch

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