Herb Opitz, 1925 - 2013 London Based Artist

Herb Opitz, 1925-2013     

London Based Artist 

Herb Opitz was a founding member of the Brixton Artists Collective and the Brixton Art Gallery in London. He began painting in 1977 after an architectural career which began in Detroit in 1953.

Opitz grew up in Ludington, MI, joined the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet, but switched to bombardier and was a week short of graduation when WWII ended.  He returned to Michigan and enrolled in UM studying to be a physicist.  After his freshman year, he moved to St. Louis to care for his grandfather.  In St. Louis, he worked as a window dresser for Stix Baer & Fuller, then 2nd largest department store in St. Louis. While in St. Louis he enrolled in Washington University, where he graduated with a degree in Architecture.

His architecture career was full of exciting commissions around the world.  He accepted his first position in Detroit (1953), went off to Frankfurt in 1957 to further his studies in modern architecture.   Served as an assistant architect in NY, moved on to Monrovia, Liberia where he was the resident architect for the President's Palace, was the on-site architect for the zoo and botanical gardens for Gaddafi in Libya, and also worked in Australia.  His last architectural job was for a school expansion in London.  He settled in London and lived there for over 35 years.

He was an avid photographer, mostly of plants, leaves, flowers - anything. He was frequently inspired from nature, but mostly he said, from recalling the birds in Ludington: They, like he, were free spirits, unencumbered, with color.  He started painting after a visit to the Tate Modern, in London. The painting (above) is done with acrylic and PVA paints on paper.

Opitz's background as an architect and designer influenced his abstract visual language.  It may not appear at first glance, but it is all about shape, form, color and line that creates a balanced composition within the boundaries of the page.  His use of color; the blue and white that complements the yellows, oranges and reds demonstrates a bold colorful composition that speaks to the viewer.  His lines and shapes may seem random, yet it takes the eye of a designer architect to keep the viewer's eyes on the composition.  

Late in life, Opitz was coping with Parkinson's Disease, so he switched to vibrant paper 'cut-out' collages, reminiscent of Matisse and computer art. He exhibited at the Ovalhouse in London.

. Below is a photo and a quote:

Herb Opitz

Herb stated: "Not many months ago I found myself in front of a computer trying to make it go. During many months before then I made a large collection of collages and paintings. I soon saw it was possible to modify and enhance past work with the aid of the computer. This show is about renewing old experiences and responding to new ones."

Special thanks goes out to Herbert G. Opitz's family for the detailed information provided in this blog.