Ponstingl Dreams of Past Futures
at Michener Art Museum
Ponstingl Dreams of Past Futures
January 25 – July 26, 2020 James A. Michener Art Museum 138 S. Pine Street Doyelstown, PA 18901 (215) 340 – 9800 Hours: Tuesday through Friday: 10am – 4:30pm Saturday: 10am – 5pm Sunday: 12pm – 5pm
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Ponstingl with Wall Art, 1968 – 72, wood, 25 x 37 inches, Collection of John Munice.
Franz Jozef Ponstingl 1927 – 2004 While he received little recognition during his lifetime, Ponstingl is best remembered for his technical skill and keen ability to convey futuristic landscapes and whimsical patterns in his paintings. His work is reminiscent of the Surrealist movement, as he draws inspiration from dreams, like the work of Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989). A recurring theme in Ponstingl’s paintings are visions of abandoned, future civilizations that are discovered by archaeologists intact and uninhabited. The extant body of work represented in the exhibition spans two decades and provides a comprehensive understanding of the artist’s unique insight pertaining to the unconscious. “Ponstingl: Dreams of Past Futures” will be on view through July 26. Born in Allentown, Ponstingl grew up on a 60– acre farm in Coopersburg where he first realized his artistic passion. As a young adult, he focused on farming, choosing to paint occasionally. Ponstingl’s artistic endeavors were completely put on hold when he served in the United States Air Force during World War II and the Korean War. Although he was not working in the arts, this chapter in Ponstingl’s life had a lasting impact, as themes of war and the military pervade several of his paintings.
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“He frequently returned to the Coopersburg farm to paint, recording his dreams in sketchbooks that would later serve to inform his paintings and help develop his surrealist style.”
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An Archaeological Find, 1962. Oil on canvas. 18 x 24 inches. Collection of John Munice.
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detail of Isotopes of Furniture, 1971 Oil on canvas 36 x 52 inches Collection of Amy and Eric Huck
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Following his service, Ponstingl worked intermittently as an interior designer, painting large–scale murals for the Bolling Officers’ Club and the Monocle restaurant and bar in Washington, D.C. He frequently returned to the Coopersburg farm to paint, recording his dreams in sketchbooks that would later serve to inform his paintings and help develop his surrealist style. In 1967, Ponstingl was forced to sell the farm property after the death of his father. He donated many of his paintings to the Salvation Army in Philadelphia, where they were later discovered by Bert Baum, a gallery owner and son of the painter Walter Baum (1884 – 1956). In 1971, Baum hosted a solo exhibition of Ponstingl’s work at his gallery in Sellersville, introducing Ponstingl’s work to a larger audience. In the late 1970s, Ponstingl decided to pursue the arts and devoted his life to painting. He moved to his sister’s property in Kunkletown, Pa. and built a studio. He struggled to find success as an artist and relocated to California in 1982, where he lived until his death in 2004.
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“Strange, fluted shapes, biomorphic hybrids of nature and machine, even alien landscapes and visions of mankind’s future are par for the course in a Ponstingl painting.”
Ponstingl: Dreams of Past Futures is the first solo exhibition of Ponstingl’s work at the Michener Ar t Museum and will include paintings and drawings from private collections, many of which have never been on public view. Featuring representative works from various stages of his artistic development, the exhibition will showcase the artist’s refined technical skill and extraordinary imagination. Ponstingl is best described as an “outsider” artist, although even that doesn’t really do him justice. Self-taught, he developed a blend of Modernist and Surrealist sensibilities during his lifetime, which can be seen in the exhibit’s 22 paintings, many never before on public display. Strange, fluted shapes, biomorphic hybrids of nature and machine, even alien landscapes and visions of mankind’s future are par for the course in a Ponstingl painting. His universe is populated by the ironic or the bizarre. Works show a great understanding of the abstract while rendered with the precise lines and vivid colors of a realist.
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Untitled, 1975 – 78 Oil on board 18 ½ x 14 ½ inches Collection of John Munice
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Seed to Seed, 1970 – 72 Oil on board 24 x 30 inches Collection of John Munice
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“The work is pure eye candy — as are all of Ponstingl’s pieces.”
A recurring theme in Ponstingl’s work was the depiction of future civilizations that he believed would be discovered by archaeologists. The paintings were unpopulated, typical of an archaeological site. In “Seed to Seed” for example, an oil on board from 1970 – 72, we see a series of vertical objects (that’s the best way to describe them) that present a variety of forms, from seeming metal–like chains to oddly twisted organic shapes. They are meticulously rendered, with the three–dimensionality of a computer graphic. The work is pure eye candy — as are all of Ponstingl’s pieces. An untitled piece from about the same era depicts a surreal landscape of architectural elements populated by the silhouettes of toy soldiers. A burst of light occupies the top center of the painting, just over the left shoulder of the dark outline of a soldier. Is it an anti-war statement, or just a fantasy? We’ll never know. That’s the mystery of Ponstingl and his work. He walked a razor’s edge between the art styles of his time and developed his own perspective on painting.
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“Ponstingl’s work prefigured many developments in contemporary art practice today, including digital rendering of unseen networks, the blurring of abstraction and representation, and the ability to create depth out of abstract forms,”
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Untitled, 1966 Oil on canvas 50 x 68 inches Collection of Tom Miller
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Trail of Turds, 1970 – 72 Oil on board 19 x 24 inches Collection of Amy and Eric Huck
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The story behind his first exhibition begins long ago and not without a few strange coincidences as to how it ended up being held in Allentown and in particular, at the Baum School. The story starts with art collector John Munice, who splits his time between New York City and Lambertville, N.J. Munice is an admirer of mid–20th century Modernism and after encountering Ponstingl’s work at an estate sale, felt he had to own it, so much so that over the past 10 years he has become Ponstingl’s champion, eventually acquiring nearly a hundred works — paintings, sculpture and sketches — and restoring them. He owns all of the works in the exhibition. The estate sale is where the story develops a connection to the Baum family. It turns out that in 1969, a large collection of Ponstingl’s work was purchased by Bert Baum, a noted art dealer and son of Baum School founder and teacher/painter Walter Emerson Baum. Bert Baum eventually held an exhibition at his Sellersville gallery where many, but not all, of the paintings were sold. After Bert Baum’s death, Munice met Bert’s son David, who was administering the sale of his father’s estate. Among the items was a painting by Ponstingl that Munice admired. “I picked one,” says Munice, “but David told me it was all or nothing.” It turned out there were 10 works altogether being stored in an attic. “They were in bad condition. Some had water dripping on them. It was a sad story.” 15
Munice purchased the remaining pieces and spent several years locating more works and restoring them. “These works needed some love,” says Munice, who discovered that many of Ponstingl’s paintings had been purchased in the past, just not by art connoisseurs. “His work was bought by country people. It was as if an old aunt died and then kept the work in their attic for 40 years.” Ultimately, Munice contacted the Baum School to inquire about mounting an exhibition. Born in Allentown in 1927, Ponstingl spent much of his early life on his family’s 60–acre farm in Coopersburg. What we know of his life is that he served in the Army Air Force during World War II and was stationed in Nagoya, Japan. He visited Hiroshima and saw the devastation of the first nuclear bombing. The madness of war left a lasting impression on him. He was a traveler, visiting much of Europe, the Middle East, Bolivia, and spent some time studying Incan archaeological sites. He spent most of his time alternating between living in Washington D.C., where he worked to support himself, and the Coopersburg family farm, and spent much of his time painting.
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detail of Untitled, 1970 Oil on canvas 36 x 47 inches Collection of John Munice
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Untitled, 1975 – 78 Oil on board 18 ½ x 14 ½ inches Collection of John Munice
“He was lost and forgotten. Hopefully, I’ve brought him to light.”
When nothing sold, he moved to the West Coast. At times, he was so destitute that he experienced periods of homelessness. He remained on the West Coast until his sister invited him to live with her and her husband in Kunkletown. In 1979, Ponstingl began building a studio on his sister’s property, and producing hundreds of paintings there. He retired to the West Coast in the early 1990s and died in California in 2004, having never ex perienced success. He never returned to the East Coast, which he associated with the rejection of his artwork. In all, says Munice, Ponstingl probably created about 500 paintings and 500 more drawings, sketches and sculptures. Some are now in museum collections, two are in the Michener Museum in Doylestown. “He was prolific, for sure,” says Munice. “He was lost and forgotten. Hopefully, I’ve brought him to light.”
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Photo Credits
Cover
Franz Jozef Ponstingl, Untitled, 1970 – 72 Oil on canvas 35 x 47 inches Collection of Amy and Eric Huck
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl Wall Art, 1968 – 72, wood, 25 x 37 inches, Collection of John Munice. (uncredited photgraph of the artist)
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl, An Archaeological Find, 1962. Oil on canvas. 18 x 24 inches. Collection of John Munice.
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl, Isotopes of Furniture, 1971 Oil on canvas 36 x 52 inches Collection of Amy and Eric Huck
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl, Untitled, 1975 – 78 Oil on board 18 ½ x 14 ½ inches Collection of John Munice
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl, Seed to Seed, 1970 – 72 Oil on board 24 x 30 inches Collection of John Munice
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl, Untitled, 1966 Oil on canvas 50 x 68 inches Collection of Tom Miller
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl, Trail of Turds, 1970–72 Oil on board 19 x 24 inches Collection of Amy and Eric Huck
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl, Untitled, 1970 Oil on canvas 36 x 47 inches Collection of John Munice
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Franz Jozef Ponstingl, Untitled, 1970 Oil on board 20 x 24 inches Collection of John Munice