Ted CoConis

Art Brokerage: Ted CoConis American Artist: Ted was awarded a scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago during his grade school years, but instead of working toward academic success, he abandoned his formal education, and trained as a pilot with the US Air Force near the end of World War II. He was honorably discharged a year later when they found out he was underage, so he joined the Merchant Marines and ended up in Russian-occupied Romania. Returning to the states he later landed his first freelance commission as an illustrator. A major art studio in New York recognized his talent, and he quickly established himself as one of this country's preeminent illustrators of books, magazines and movie posters. Ted's paintings have appeared in every major magazine. He was commissioned to create paintings for movie posters such as "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Man of La Mancha" among others. His art has graced the covers of countless books, including those of Vladimir Nabokov and Jerzy Kosinski, each of whom acquired a painting for his personal collection. James Michener chose Ted to illustrate his novels for Readers' Digest Condensed Books and his art was selected for the Newberry Award-winning children's book Summer of the Swans. Around 1980 Ted began to concentrate on his own fine art while living in Paris and the Greek Islands. The figurative paintings born of this effort have been widely exhibited at galleries, museums and other prestigious institutions.His original paintings, as well as his portrait and illustrative commissions, have received numerous awards from major art organizations and associations of art directors and designers. In 2013 CoConis received the honor of being named to New York's Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame. A film documentary on Ted CoConis and his singular artwork is currently in production. Listings wanted.