Arne Hiersoux
Arne Hiersoux (1938-1983), was an American Abstract Expressionist painter who brought a no holds-barred spirit of creativity to bear in both his artistic and entrepreneurial pursuits. The legacy he leaves behind chronicles both the artistic and business climates of this uniquely American period. Born in West Virginia, in 1938, to a family of accomplished chamber musicians, Hiersoux learned the value of art and the discipline required of a true creative. For Hiersoux, the complete integration of art and life meant that he committed as fully to his paintings as to his business ventures, always layering and circling back to create something new, inspiring and enduring. From the beginning, Hiersoux was given permission to make a career in the arts. In his youth, the family made a trip to New Mexico where he was profoundly influenced by the landscape. The openness and endless sense of space, to him, meant unlimited possibility. The mysterious spirit of Native American’s way of life, so different from his own, captivated the young man’s soul. These influences led Arne to push the boundaries of man’s relationship to the physical and spiritual world, both in art and in business. In 1962 at the Richmond Art Center, Arne exhibited a series of collages, using paper and acrylic on canvas. It was in this show that he also began pushing the limits of size, with one painting stretching to eighteen feet. Hiersoux was also an accomplished entrepreneur as co-founder and principal, with his brother, of the iconic mountaineering equipment company, The North Face and co-founder and principal of Zoom Zoom Air, a six-plane cargo airline with sixty employees that he ran from 1971-1978. Hiersoux’s unique approach to the integration of art, business, family, living space, and invention was unique in themed-20th century America and his art remains both historical and prescient.
Untitled Acrylic and paper on canvas 71 x 94 in. Executed in 1962
Mem Sahib Acrylic and paper on canvas 70 1/2 x 120 1/2 in. Executed in 1962
Memphitis Acrylic and paper on canvas 71 x 84 in. Executed in 1962
Untitled 2 Acrylic and paper on canvas 60 x 95 in. Executed in 1962
Cassandra Kiss Acrylic and paper on canvas 84 x 70 in. Executed in 1962
Melancholia Borealis Acrylic and paper on canvas 83 x 170 in. Executed in 1962
Yonder Cisco Acrylic and paper on canvas 60 x 96 in. Executed in 1962
Accolade Acrylic and paper on canvas 71 x 96 1/2 in. Executed in 1962
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