Walter York Koenigstein
The drawings and sculptures of Walter York Koenigstein have been the focus of critical acclaim from New York to Vienna to Tokyo. His art has been exhibited worldwide and can be found in numerous private and public collections including New York's Museum of Modern Art, The Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Albertina in Austria, the Museum Friedestrom in Germany and many others. Beneath the elegant, gestural appearance of a Koenigstein drawing lies a complex, intelligent practice; that of a thinking being seeking to reduce phrases of Western art to their essential semantic structure. No excess line nor misplaced dot robs the surface of its coherent, precise statement. As one of the artist’s titles proclaim, “Anything less is missing”.  
   Koenigstein has been a Guest Professor and Presidential Lecturer at universities and colleges throughout Europe and America. Member of the Vienna Secession, Koenigstein was bestowed with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit by the President of Germany.

Born in Uelzen, Germany 1944, American Citizen.
Studied at the Academy of Applied Arts, Prof. C.Unger, Vienna, 1962-63.
Studied Painting, Academy of Fine Arts, Prof. S. Pauser, Vienna, 1963-66.
Studied Sculpture, Academy of Fine Arts, Prof. F. Wotruba,Vienna, 1966-67.
Lecturer for Drawing, Urania Institute, Vienna, 1965-67.
Since 1967 living and working in New York City, since 1997 in Naples, Florida.

ONE - MAN EXHIBITIONS
1980 “Drawings of Contemporary Dilemmas and Enigmas”, Austrian Institute, N.Y.
1981 “Koenigstein - Drawings”, Robert Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1981 “Gedanken, die von drueben kamen”, The Vienna Secession, Austria.
1983 “Koenigstein - New Drawings”, Robert Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1983 “Koenigstein - Drawings”, Gallery 72, Omaha, N.B.
1985 “New Drawings”, Robert Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1985 “Zeichnungen”, Galerie Grill, Vienna, Austria.
1985 “New Drawings”, Bill Graham Gallery, Houston, TX.
1985 “Zeichen ntis der Fremde”, steirischer herbst, Graz, Austria.
1986 “Drawings”, Holdsworth Contemporary Galleries, Sidney, Australia.
1988 “Koenigstein - Drawings”, Hope College, De Free Art Ctr.,Holland, MI.
1990 “Black and White”, Gallery Borghi & Co., N.Y.
1992 “Koenigstein - Zeichnungen”, Rotenburg/Wuemme, Germany.
1992 “Koenigstein - Zeichnungen”, Theater a.d. Ilmenau, Uelzen, Germany.
1993 “Koenigstein — Drawings”, Henry Feiwel Gallery, N.Y.
1993 “New Drawings”, Austrian Cultural Institute, N.Y.
1994 “New Drawings”, Austrian Embassy, Washington, DC.
1994 “New Drawings”, Gallery Wurzer, Houston, TX.
1994 “New Drawings”, Piazza Gallery, Sausalito, CA.
1995 “New Drawings”, Museum Friedestrom, Zons, Germany.
1995 “New Drawings”, Sumida Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.
1996 “Permanente Sammlung Koenigstein”, Museum Friedestrom, Zons, Germany.
1998 “Koenigstein-Zeichnungen 1967—1998”, Galerie am Wasserturm, Berlin, Germany.
1999 “Of Palms and’Women”, Geary Design, Naples, FL.
2001 “Tropical Dark”, Drawings, 11W Gallery, Naples, Fl.
2003 “Opening the Gates of Naples”, Botero Gallery, Naples, FL

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 1976 “Project Rebuild”, Grey Art Gallery, N.Y.
1976 “Project Rebuild”, Museum of Modern Art, Udine, Italy.
1980 “Summer 80”, The Drawing Center, N.Y.
1981 “Summer Exhibition”, Robert Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1981 “New Work in Black and White”, Museum of Modern Art, N.Y.
1982 “New Drawing in America”, The Drawing Center, N.Y.
1982 “Summer Exhibition”, Robert Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1982 “Recent Acquisitions”, Solomon H. Guggenheim Museum. N.Y.
1983 “Summer Annual”, Robert Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1983 “Das kleine Format”, The Vienna Secession, Austria.
1983 “Artists of the Gallery”, Robert Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1983 “Recent European Painting”, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, N.Y.
1984 “Recent Acquisitions”, Solomon H. Guggenheim Museum, N.Y.
1987 “Group Exhibition”, Robert Elko~ Gallery, N.Y.
1988 “Gedenkausstellung”, steirischer herbst, Graz, Austria.
1989 “Black, Grey and White”, Henry Feiwel Gallery, N.Y.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Museum of Modern Art, N.Y.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, N.Y.
Albertina, Vienna, Austria.
Museum of Modern Art, Udine, Italy.
The Ministry of Art and Education, Vienna, Austria.
The Vienna Secession, Austria.
The City of Vienna, Austria.
The Joanneum, Graz, Austria.
Kreis Neuss, Germany.
Hope College, De Pree Art Center, Holland, MI.
Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC.
University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD.
Museum Friedestrom, Zons, Germany.

APPOINTMENTS
1965 Lecturer, “Urania Institute”, Vienna, AUSTRIA
1983 Member of “The Vienna Secession”. Vienna, AUSTRIA
1984 Curator,” Black and White” Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y..
1986 Director, Austro-American Council. N.Y.
1989 Initiator/Chairman, Egon Schiele Prize, N.Y.
1989 Exec. Director, Columbus 500 Space Art Committee, Washington, DC.
1991 Presidential Lecturer, hope College, Holland, MI.
1993 Visiting Professor, D.S.S. University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM.
1994 Member of the “Vienna Circle”, Institute for Science, Philosophy and Art, AUSTRIA.
1995 Visiting Professor, D.S.S. University of New Mexico, Taos, NM.
1995 American Initiator/Curator, “The Cultural Exodus from Austria 1938-1945”, N.Y.
1996 Honorary Adjunct Professor of Art, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD.
1997 Initiator, “Susret, Bosnien Women Refugees”, New YorkSchool of Interior Design, N.Y.

DECORATIONS
1994 PresidentialDecoration: “The Knight’s Cross of Honor for Science and Art of the Republic of Austria”.
2000 Presidential Decoration: “The Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Germany”.
2001 Presidential Decoration: “The Knight’s Cross L Class of the Republic of Austria”.

CATALOGUES
1980 “KOENIGSTEIN Drawings of Contemporary Dilemmas and Enigmas”, Austrian Institute, N.Y.
1983 “KOE. New Drawings”, Edward F. Frey, Robert Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1985 “KOE. New Drawings”, Graham Gallery, Houston, TX.
1985 “KOE. New Drawings”, Edward F. Frey, Elkon Gallery, N.Y.
1986 “KOE. INDEX”,Wolfgang Bauer and Aline Cbipman Brandauer, Egret Publications, N.Y.
1992 “KOE. Striche sind Taten”, Joachim Riedl, Rotenburg/Wuemme, Germany.
1993 “KOE. Drawings”, Serge Sabarsky and Peter Pabisch, Austrian Institute, N.Y.
1997 “KOE. Zeichnungen 1983-1995”, Helene BIum-Spicker, Museum Friedestrom, Zons, Germany.

LITERARY PUBLICATIONS
1985 “BOOK 42”, Steirischer Herbst, Graz, Austria
1996 “KOENIGSTEIN MUSINGS, VOLUME 1. Verlag van Acken, Krefeld, Germany
2001 “TROPICAL DARK”, Collage Books Inc., Naples, F.L.