ARNOLDMESCHES CHRONOLOGY
1923 Born in the Bronx, NY.
1925 Family moves to Dunkirk, New York (near Buffalo); five years later they move to Buffalo, NY.
1941 Graduates from Buffalo Technical High School,where he studied advertising design.
1942 Enlists in Signal Corps, but is rejected because of severe migraine headaches. Works in war industry, making machine guns.
1943 Moves to Los Angeles to accept design scholarship at Art CenterSchool.
1944 Works nights in war industry.
1945 Marries Sylvia Snetsky from Buffalo.
Decides to fulfill ambition to be a fine artist and studies drawing at Jepson Institute of Art and composition at Chouinard Art Institute, Los Angeles.
1946 Set illustrator, makes Tarzan storyboards for Sol Lesser Studios,Culver City. Marches on picket line in Hollywood strike; jailed with eight hundred other strikers.
First teaching job, People’s Education Center, Los Angeles.
Mural, Home of Dr. and Mrs. MaxShapiro, West Los Angeles
1947 First solo exhibition, of watercolors, Chabot Gallery, Los Angeles. Founds L.A. Graphic ArtsWorkshop.
Completes mural for Park View Manor Catering Hall, LosAngeles
1948-50 Instructor of painting, drawing, and design, Art Barn School of Art, Salt Lake City, UT.Fired for political activity, resulting in one of the earliest academic freedom cases in theUnited States.
1949 Mural, Union Hall, Mine Mill &Smelters Union, Bingham Canyon, UT
1950 Instructor, University of Southern California, LosAngeles.
Mural for Newhouse Hotel. Salt Lake City, UT.
Mural, Carlton Hotel, Salt Lake City, UT
Son, Paul, born in Los Angeles.
1950-55 Instructor, Kann Institute of Art,Los Angeles; faculty chair.
1953 Solo exhibition at Pasadena ArtInstitute.
Daughter, Susan, born in Los Angeles.
1954, 1956 Receives John F. and Anna Lee ScholarshipFund Award.
1955 Wins national competition, ACA Galleries,New York City.
Works on Family Background, a series inspired by the Rosenberg trial.
1955-58 Instructor and director, New School of Art,Los Angeles.
1956 Studio robbed of more than two hundred works, among them many in theRosenberg Series; suspects FBI.
On study-tour of murals in Mexico, meets David Alfaro Siqueiros, Alfredo Zalce,Leopoldo Mendez, and Pablo O’Higgins. Lectures at Taller de Grafica Popular,Mexico City.
1960 Mural, Home of Mr. James Lebenthal, New York City
1963-67 Instructor, Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles.
1966 Active in antiwar movement.
Solo exhibition, “Paintings, 1960-66,” Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
First trip to Europe.
1966-67 Paints Peace Marchers series.
1968-74 Ceases painting. Makes prints; writes two novels.
1972 Marriage ends; begins living withJill Ciment.
Travels in Guatemala.
1972-77 Instructor, University of California, LosAngeles.
1973 Mural, Temple Isaiah, Los Angeles.
1974 Begins painting Head series.
1975 Mural, Bank of America, main office, Beverly Hills.
1975-84 Instructor, Otis Art Institute ofParsons School of Design, Los Angeles.
1975-85 Travels periodically in Mexico.
1976 Travels in Europe.Lives in Spain for eight weeks. Visits Morocco.
1978 Instructor(senior painting), Art Center College of Design, Pasadena.
1979, 1980 Ford Foundation,Faculty Grant, Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design, Los Angeles.
1982 Artist’s Fellowship, NationalEndowment for the Arts.
1983 Marries Jill Ciment.
Retrospective exhibition, Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdall Park, Los Angeles.
1984 First New York solo exhibition, CivilianWarfare, New York City.
Moves to New York City.
1985 Guest professor(graduate painting), Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
1986 Instructor, Parsons School ofDesign, New York City.
1987-88 Visiting lecturer, Rutgers University,New Brunswick, NJ.
1988-2002 Instructor (graduate painting), New YorkUniversity, New York City.
1989 Guest of Seibu Art Forum, Tokyo.
Guest of Artist’s Union, Moscow.
1989-2006 Paints Anomie series.
1991 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship.
Travels in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.
1992 Richard Florsheim Art Fund Grant.
1994 Artist in Residence, Altos deChavon, Dominican Republic.
Solo exhibition, Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia.Meets Howard Zinn.
1995-2002 Lives part time in Culebra, Puerto Rico.
1996 Visiting Artist, Memphis College of Art, Memphis, TN.
Richard Florsheim Art Fund Grant.
1996-2000 Paints Echoes: A CenturySurvey series.
1999 Visiting Artist, University of Colorado atBoulder.
Visiting Artist, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.
2001 Active in anti-Iraq war movement.
2000-03 Works on The FBI Files series.
2002 Video, Conversations with Arnold Mesches, produced by Artists Network, New York City.
Pollach-Krasner Foundation Grant.
2002-03 Solo exhibition, “The FBI Files,” PS1 Contemporary ArtCenter, Museum of Modern Art affiliate, Long Island City, NY.
2002 Moves to Gainesville, FL.
2003-11 Guest professor, University of Florida, Gainesville.
2004 Travels in Trinidad.
Art Critics of America award for “The FBI Files” at PS1Contemporary Art Center.
Writes and helps produce book, The FBIFiles.
2004-06 Paints It’s a Circus series.
2005 Master Artist, Atlantic Center for the Arts, NewSmyrna Beach, FL.
2005-06 Travels in Europe, lives in Utrecht, Netherlands, for three weeks.
2005-07 Paints ComingAttractions series.
2006 Master Artist, Atlantic Center for the Arts, New SmyrnaBeach, FL.
2007 Florida State Individual Artist’s Grant.
2008 Paints Untitled series.
Pollach-Krasner Foundation Grant.
2009 Awarded Honorary Doctorate, University of Florida,Gainesville.
Paints Weather Patterns series.
2010 Paints Paint series.
Moves to Brooklyn, NY, part time.
2011 Works on Noise series.
2011-12 Paints Shock and Awe series.
2012 Travels to Cuba.
Produces book, Arnold Mesches: A Life’sWork.