100 Heroes: John Koch
The gay man who became an influential painter.
John Koch was an American painter, and an important figure in 20th century realist painting.
He is best known for his light-filled realist paintings of urban interiors, often featuring classical allusions, and set in his own Manhattan apartment.
Early life
Koch was born to in 1909 in Toledo, Ohio, and raised mostly in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
During his high school years he spent some time in an artists’ colony in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Art
Much of Koch’s work is made up of portraits and social scenes, including cocktail parties and scenes with the artist at work with his models, the latter of whom are often but not always nude.
Some of his most compelling pieces illustrate himself – as the painter – interacting with a nude male model.
Koch prided himself on being at odds with the art movements of his time - he found little appetite for his work from galleries and museums.
However he enjoyed a loyal and lucrative following among men who were fans of his work.
