George
Cup 1930 - 2008
George
Cup, of New York City, NY, died on Sunday (July 20,
2008) in New York, where he had lived for 65 years. He
was 78.
Cup was born on March 25, 1930 in Hesslingen (now
Wolfsburg) in Germany. He emigrated with his family from
Germany before the war in 1936. Together with Steve
Elliott they were collaborated with sculpture, painting
and experimental film. In the mid1960s, Cup developed a
reputation as an important innovator in the field of
Minimalist art, with his “Square” series and
animation film work.
In
2008 the work of George Cup & Steve Elliott will be
presented for the first time in Germany in two
exhibitions taking place in the cities of the artists
births. Opening in September at the Kunstverein
Wolfsburg, birthplace of George Cup (born Georg Anton
Kupsch * 1930 - 2008) the work will then travel to the
Staedtische Gallery Nordhorn, birthplace of Steve
Elliott (born Stephan Berliott *1933 -1986). The
retrospectives, two years in planning, recall the work
and lives of these two artists. Both artists emigrated
to the USA with their families prior to the second world
war and met as students at the Art Students League of
New York. They remained connected
for over 27 years,
though Elliott's life was cut tragically short and Cup's
dramatically altered. After serving nearly 20 years in a
New York State prison charged with the murder of Steve
Elliott in 1986, George Cup was exonerated and released
in January 2007.
The
George Cup & Steve Elliott Research Center was
founded shortly after the tragic death of Steve Elliott
in 1986. From 2006 to the death of George Cup in July
2008 the Research Center has focused upon the art of
this outstanding artist duo and has brought their
practice to wider public attention. The Research Center
has collected roughly 1200 letters, photographs,
diaries, sketches, scrapbooks, business records and
other documentation that supports the study of the lives
of George Cup & Steve Elliot in both the United
States and Germany. The Center has illuminated the
history of George Cup & Steve Elliot through
collecting, preserving, and making available for study
this documentation. The George Cup & Steve Elliott
Research Center has comprehensively gathered new
information about the life and work of this important
artist duo, which has been long overdue.
A
memorial service will not be held.
Please
contact the Research Center for photos: service@georgecupresearchcenter.com
.
The
George Cup Research Center
The George Cup & Steve Elliot Research Center
323 West, 39th Street W, NY, New York, 10018
