Hedi Kyle (born 1937) is a German-born American

book artist Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that engage with and transform the form of a book. Some are mass-produced with multiple editions, some are published in small editions, while others are produced as one-of-a-kind ob ...

and educator who has had a major influence on the development of book arts.

Early life and education

Kyle was born in what was then part of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she fled with her mother and siblings; her father served in the army. After the war, the family was reunited and moved to the German island of

Borkum Borkum (; ) is an island and a municipality in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany. It is situated east of Rottumeroog and west of Juist. Geography Borkum is bordered to the west by the Westerems strait (which forms the ...

. After she completed high school, she attended an art school in

Wiesbaden Wiesbaden (; ) is the capital of the German state of Hesse, and the second-largest Hessian city after Frankfurt am Main. With around 283,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 24th-largest city. Wiesbaden form ...

. Kyle was employed as a commercial artist in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

. When she turned 21, she spent a year painting in Greece. She moved to the United States and settled in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. During the 1970s, Kyle studied with bookbinder and conservator Laura Young in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Career

Kyle began teaching when

Richard Minsky Richard P. Minsky (born January 7, 1947) is an American scholar of bookbinding and a book artist. He is the founder of the Center for Book Arts in New York City. Background In 1960, Minsky obtained his first printing press at the age of 13 to re ...

offered her a job teaching at the

Center for Book Arts Center for Book Arts (CBA) is a non-profit arts organization, founded in 1974. It is the first organization of its kind in the United States dedicated to contemporary interpretations of the book as an art object while preserving traditional prac ...

in New York City. She also taught at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

. Kyle worked as a conservator for the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In 1987, she was invited to teach at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. In 1983, along with Timothy Barrett and

Gary Frost Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name Places ;Iran *Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;United States *Gary (Tampa), Florida *Gary, Indi ...

, Kyle co-founded the Paper & Book Intensive, an annual series of bookbinding, papermaking, and conservation workshops. Over the years, Kyle has come up with new and innovative ways of assembling books which are often based on traditional bookbinding techniques. In 1993, the Center for Book Arts held an exhibition "Hedi Kyle and her Influence: 1977–1993" which featured work by Kyle and twenty contemporary book artists influenced by her. In 2015, the 23 Sandy Gallery in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

held an exhibition called "Hello Hedi" featuring works inspired by Kyle. At the urging of paper artist, engineer, and writer
Paul Jackson
she and her daughter, Ulla Warchol, publishe
Art of the Fold
about some of her most popular and creative techniques for making simple books and enclosures.Podcast interview from "Cut the Craft"
March 2021

References

External links

The Art of the Fold
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle, Hedi 1937 births Living people Book artists Book conservators Women book artists Artists from San Francisco American people of German descent 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American women artists