John Hultberg

John Hultberg studied at the Art Students League with artists Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still. In 1952 his work was included in an exhibition of emerging artists, and two years later he won first prize at the Corcoran Gallery of Art Biennial. In 1955, Time magazine declared him the "latest darling of modern art." (Jacks, John Hultberg: Painter of the In-Between, 1985) Hultberg exhibited his work all over the world, published many poems, and taught in art schools across the country. His paintings often show surreal landscapes of indistinct objects that evoke stormy wastelands or long-forgotten ruins.

Text © Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2025