Biography
Peter Kalkof (b. Stassfurt, Germany 1933 - d. 2014) attended an evening class at School of Arts & Crafts, Braunschweig, 1952–5; was at the Academy of Fine Arts, Stuttgart, 1956–60; did a postgraduate course at Slade School of Fine Art, 1960–1; then was at École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1962. In 1963 he settled in London He taught fine art at Reading University (1966-1999). Kalkhof said that his main concern was “the abstract phenomena of colour and space”. Ancient cities, museums and nature with its climates and seasons were of key importance. Rooted not only in the northern-romantic tradition (one of his favourite paintings was Monk by the Sea by Caspar David Friedrich) he was also deeply influenced by the transcendental abstractions of artists like Malevich, Kandinsky and Rothko. In 1987 Kalkhof was commissioned to carry out a mural for the Treaty Centre, Hounslow, for Taylor Woodrow Group. Kalkhof’s many mixed exhibitions included Galerie am Bohlweg, Braunschweig, 1962; University of East Anglia, Norwich, 1971; Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne, 1972; British Painting ’74, Hayward Gallery, 1974; Camden Arts Centre, 1981; and The Seventies, Brixton Art Gallery, 1985.
He had a solo exhibition at Galerie in der Garage, Stuttgart, 1964, then showed often with Annely Juda Fine Art from 1970. There was a 25-year retrospective at Landesmuseum Oldenburg, Germany, in 1988.
