Artist Museums

Karl August Wirsum

Karl August Wirsum (1939 - 2021) was active/lived in Illinois, California.  Karl Wirsum is known for Drawing, funk figure-faces, "Hairy Who," imagist, sculpture, drawing.

"Karl Wirsum, Dynamic and Eclectic Chicago Artist, Dies at 81," Online obituary, The New York Times, by Roberta Smith, June 20, 2021

A member of the small but influential group known as the Hairy Who, he built his art on a highly original synthesis of multiple sources.

Karl Wirsum, whose avid, sometimes robotic figures in both two and three dimensions exemplified the group of disruptive artists known in the late 1960s as the Hairy Who, died on May 6 in Chicago. He was 81.

His death was announced by Derek Eller, his New York gallery. His family said the cause was cardiac arrest.

With titles like Lana Turner With Her Own Eyebrows Before Schrafft’s and Some Underwear Over the Rainbow,”Mr. Wirsum’s art was suffused with a great deal of humor. But the man himself was quiet and reserved, with tastes on the spartan side. Very health conscious, he had followed a macrobiotic diet since the 1970s and went running nearly every day until he was 75.<   ...  [Displaying 1000 of 9971 characters.]  Artist bio

Artist auction records

.  askART's database currently holds 151 auction lots for Karl August Wirsum (of which 121 auction records sold and 2 are upcoming at auction.)

Artist artworks for sale and wanted

.  There are 1 artworks for sale on our website by galleries and art dealers . There are 2 galleries and art dealers listing works of art by Karl August Wirsum as either "Wanted" or "For Sale" .

Research resources

.  askART lists Karl August Wirsum in 0 of its research Essays. Karl August Wirsum has 2 artist signature examples available in our database.

Similar artists

.  There are 24 similar (related) artists for Karl August Wirsum available:    Ed (Edward Francis) Paschke,  Jim Nutt,  Roger Brown,  Leon Golub,  Don Baum,  Gladys Nilsson,  Seymour Rosofsky,  June Leaf,  Anish (Sir) Kapoor,  Robert Myrrden Barnes,  Peter Saul,  Joseph E Yoakum,  Alan Davie,  Amy Sillman,  Horace Westermann,  Lynda Benglis,  Richard Howard Hunt,  Malcolm Morley,  Milton Resnick,  John Altoon,  Ray Kakuo Yoshida,  Moshe Elazar Castel,  Gertrude Abercrombie,  William Joseph Anastasi