Mort Künstler
American 1931 -

Born and raised in New York City, Mort Künstler became interested in art at an early age through the influence of his mother and the tutoring of his amateur artist father. During childhood, Künstler sketched his surroundings and developed a keen ability to observe and record. After studying art at Brooklyn's Abraham Lincoln High School, Künstler entered Brooklyn College where he became the school's first four-letter athlete. Later attending UCLA on an athletic scholarship, he considered a career in athletics, but instead decided to develop his artistic talents and enrolled at Pratt Institute, where he studied illustration. Künstler has illustrated an entire range of American experiences, from the emergence of Indian civilization to the landing on the moon. His paintings hang in various museums across the country and his technical skills have won him commissions with major American companies, as well as awards from many organizations, including the Society of Illustrators.