ABOUT
A LEGACY,
PART OF THE STORY OF
AMERICAN ART
FOR OVER 70 YEARS
Works by Luise Kaish and Morton Kaish are in the collections of many of the world's major museums:
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Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Smithsonian American Art Museum
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Whitney Museum
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Museum of Modern Art
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British Museum
Their diverse work continues to spark the imaginations of critics, curators and collectors alike.
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EVOLVING AND GROWING
INTO THE 21st CENTURY
Luise Kaish and Morton Kaish's legacy to American art evolves and grows through their mentees including daughter, Melissa, and grandchildren, Robert and Kathryn. Their passion for art inspired the founding of the Kaish Family Art Project.
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LUISE KAISH
A woman ahead of her time, Luise Kaish was one of a handful of women sculptors of her generation who pioneered working in metal at a monumental scale.
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Her work is included in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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She was among the first women to receive the American Academy's prestigious Rome Prize.
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Learn more:
"Speaking a language of our time, Luise Kaish's works deal with the timeless themes
of art: nature and our relation to it, feeling
and sensation as kinds of knowledge, the
beauty of physical being."
Roger Lipsey, Arts Magazine
MORTON KAISH
Morton Kaish’s light and color-filled works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, and his work can be found in major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the British Museum.
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Critics have noted Kaish’s powerful ability to combine traditional and experimental painting techniques with contemporary insights.
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Learn more:
"Morton Kaish has the esteem of critics, the devotion of collectors and the admiration of his peers. Everything he exhibits reflects that high level of intelligence and creative ability capable of transforming even the most commonplace of objects into art."
Theodore Wolff, The Christian Science Monitor
"We are like the whirlwind in the center of which is the place of quiet. We search for the realities of our visions, the edge of the universe within ourselves, all knowledge, all reason, all passion of the soul.
Everything we do is in us, and we discover it."
–Luise Clayborn Kaish
MISSION
The primary objective of the Kaish Family Art Project is to promote and exhibit the ongoing work of the Kaish family
. . . as well as to preserve, display, advance scholarship, and research the work of Luise and Morton Kaish.
The Project sees great aesthetic, philosophical and educational value in offering a view of the step-by-step development of a creative artist, from earliest years to final statements, and provides unique insight into the creative process through the collection of Luise and Morton Kaish.
ON VIEW
MORTON KAISH
Recent Highlights:​
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October 17 - December, 2024
Art Students League​​​​
DRAWING AS DISCOVERY: 500 YEARS OF DRAWINGS AND WATERCOLORS FROM MAG'S PERMANENT COLLECTION
September 26 - January 12, 2025
Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester
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Morton Kaish, Woman Dressing With Magnolia, 1980
Collection of Memorial Art Gallery
FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR: WORK AND LEISURE
August 22 - December 10, 2024
Syracuse University Art Museum
Morton Kaish, Spring, Villa Borghese, 1971
Collection of Syracuse University Art Museum
THE PROFESSIONAL PAINTERS EXHIBITION
April - June 4, 2024
The Century Association
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247- HBA: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA
June 25 - July 9, 2023
Artsy
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MORTON KAISH: A PRINT RETROSPECTIVE
November 8, 2021 - April 22, 2022
Louise and Bernard Palitz Gallery, Lubin House
AN EYE FOR NATURE: PAINTINGS & PRINTS BY MORTON KAISH
February 16 - May 12, 2019
Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
LUISE KAISH
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Recent Highlights:​
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FRUITS OF THEIR LABOR: WORK AND LEISURE
On View Now
August 22 - December 10, 2024
Syracuse, NY
Luise Kaish, Untitled, 1976 - 79
Collection of Syracuse University Art Museum
WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE CENTURY:
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS
October 24 - November 27, 2019
The Century Association
SALTINE WARRIOR
On permanent view
Syracuse, NY
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SPHERE
On permanent view
Conservation completed, on view in Spring 2025.
Hanover, NH
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Luise Kaish, Sphere, 1976
Collection of Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth
VIDEO
MORTON KAISH
The artist reflects on significant themes in his work, sharing points of inspiration and insight into his process.
LUISE KAISH
Highlights of Luise Kaish's major commissions and her fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, introduced by Melissa Kaish.
NEWS
OFFICERS
Melissa Kaish
Founder
Melissa Kaish founded the Kaish Family Art Project in May 2016 to promote and preserve her parents' legacy and contributions to American Art.
Morton Kaish
Artist & Adviser
Morton Kaish has an active studio practice in New York City. His paintings, drawings and prints can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the British Museum, among others.
Jonathan Dorfman
Strategic & Financial Adviser
Jon Dorfman is Managing Partner and CIO of Napier Park, a global alternative investment manager. Jon brings over 35 years of experience in the areas of finance, business, and legal contracts.
Susan Fisher
Director
Andrea Kutsenkow
Archival Consultant
Andrea Kutsenkow joined the Kaish Family Art Project as an archival consultant in 2017. Her research and preservation of Luise and Morton Kaish’s archival collections laid the groundwork for the 2021 monograph Luise Kaish; An American Art Legacy and are now used by scholars globally to further the legacies of both artists.
Elisabeth Foulkes
Digital Asset & Archive Coordinator
Elisabeth is a photographer and printmaker based in New York City. She earned her BA in Media Studies and BFA in Photography from The New School in 2016. Joining the KFAP team in 2019, she aided in procuring and editing the image assets for the 2021 monograph Luise Kaish: An American Art Legacy. Currently, she supports the maintenance and development of the KFAP Archives.
Susan Fisher joined the Kaish Family Art Project as Director in January 2024. An award-winning curator, Susan has served as the Director of Collections and Curatorial Affairs at the Brooklyn Museum, Executive Director of the Renee & Chaim Gross Foundation in New York City, and the inaugural Horace W. Goldsmith Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Yale University Art Gallery.
Katherine Blumkin
Technical Adviser
Katherine brings over 17 years of hands-on creative, technical, consulting & leadership experience, working in-hand with multidisciplinary powerhouses such as Proyecto AMIL, Studio 8, Dynamic Forces, and Apple. Using technology, Katherine strives to elevate and extend the reach of Morton & Luise's rich legacies for generations to come.
Gerard D'Albon
Studio Assistant
Gerard is a multidisciplinary freelance illustrator and BFA graduate from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He joined the Kaish Family Art Project in 2018 where he contributes his strong skills in image editing, printing, photography, and studio organization. Gerard works directly with Morton Kaish.
Samhita Kamisetty
Registration and Administration Assistant
Samhita is a multidisciplinary visual artist and freelance designer based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a BFA in Studio Art and and Communications from New York University. Joining the KFAP team in Summer 2024, she brings strong skills in administration, research, and design. Currently, she works directly with Susan Fisher to support the general administration & registration at KFAP.
CONTACT
Phone: 701-347-1612
For research, exhibition, and sales inquiries, please use the form.
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