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Terminal 3, London Heathrow Airport, 1961
Terminal 3, London Heathrow Airport, 1961
Stefan Knapp Poland / UK, 1921-1996
Monumental Abstract Mural for Heathrow Airport, 1959
15 panels of enamel on steel.
Commission for Heathrow Airport (initially installed on the facade of Oceanic Terminal, re-named Terminal 3 in 1968, and later re-finished and re-installed under Knapp's supervision in 1996 in Terminal 1 area).
Commission for Heathrow Airport (initially installed on the facade of Oceanic Terminal, re-named Terminal 3 in 1968, and later re-finished and re-installed under Knapp's supervision in 1996 in Terminal 1 area).
Each panel H 298 / W 99 / D 2.5 cm
Total: H 298 / W 1500 / D 2.5 cm
Illus. "Heathrow in Photographs - Celebrating 70 years of London's Airport", Adrian Balch, p. 63, for 1961 photograph of this mural on facade of Oceanic Terminal (re-named Terminal 3 in 1968).
A survivor of a Siberian gulag, Knapp emigrated to Great Britain during WWII (as a result of a prisoner exchange) and found release from his wartime trauma in creating joyous patterns of vibrant colour in enamel on a 'canvas' of steel (in lieu of the traditional copper base) - a new technique Knapp innovated in the 1950s. This process enabled Knapp to paint on an architectural scale (video footage records Knapp 'skiing' across panels laid on the floor in order to apply the enamel paints - see video below)
Total: H 298 / W 1500 / D 2.5 cm
Illus. "Heathrow in Photographs - Celebrating 70 years of London's Airport", Adrian Balch, p. 63, for 1961 photograph of this mural on facade of Oceanic Terminal (re-named Terminal 3 in 1968).
A survivor of a Siberian gulag, Knapp emigrated to Great Britain during WWII (as a result of a prisoner exchange) and found release from his wartime trauma in creating joyous patterns of vibrant colour in enamel on a 'canvas' of steel (in lieu of the traditional copper base) - a new technique Knapp innovated in the 1950s. This process enabled Knapp to paint on an architectural scale (video footage records Knapp 'skiing' across panels laid on the floor in order to apply the enamel paints - see video below)
Signed and dated 'S. Knapp 1959'
