Wilbur Niewald, renowned Kansas City artist often spotted painting in Loose Park, dies at 97
Wilbur Niewald, a beloved artist and icon often spotted outdoors, standing before an easel with a straw hat perched upon his head, has died. He was 97.
Niewald, a decorated painter and revered professor emeritus at the Kansas City Art Institute who lived in Mission, Kansas, spent several decades capturing outdoor scenes.
“It is with sadness and reverence that the faculty of the painting department acknowledge the passing of Wilbur Niewald,” the Kansas City Art Institute Painting Department wrote on Facebook on Sunday morning. “His dedication and passion for his practice serves as an inspiration for all of us. Godspeed Wilbur.”
Born in Kansas City, Niewald earned a scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute, where he later served as chair of the painting department. After serving during World War II in the U.S. Navy Air Corps, he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts. He went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts in 1953.
In 1971, Niewald committed himself to painting from direct observation, something he became well-known for.
He was featured in a 2016 article by The Star focused on local artists who take an approach to painting known as “en plein air,” a French expression that means open or full air.
“Plein air painting is about experiencing what you see, letting it influence you,” Niewald said at the time.
In 1995 the Metropolitan Museum of New York purchased his painting “Elizabeth.” But most of his art has been displayed locally, including at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.
“Painting to me is making something whole,” Niewald said in a 2004 interview. “It’s not like house painting. It’s never mechanical. It’s always felt.”
Over the years, Niewald’s painting took him from Mexico to Florence, Italy, to the Grand Canyon, where he was selected as the national park’s artist-in-residence in 1972.
Niewald passed along his knowledge to art students in Kansas City, Aspen; Colorado, New York City, Boston, and Paris.
In 1992, after 43 years spent teaching, including time serving as department chair, he retired as Professor Emeritus of Painting at the art institute.
“My one motivation,” Niewald told The Star in an interview following his retirement, “(is) to get what I see.”
His accolades include the Distinguished Teaching of Art Award from the College Art Association of America in New York and the 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Charlotte Street Fund in Kansas City.
In retirement, Niewald could often be found standing for hours in Loose Park, brushing oil paints across a canvas.
“I’m beginning to see more people out there and I think it’s terrific,” Niewald told The Star in 2016. “It’s certainly therapy for me to study nature and be outdoors. I think that’s the appeal for many artists.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2022 at 11:55 AM.
