Bio
Kenneth Carbone revels in an abounding spectrum of expressivity, from the stark eloquence of line to the opulence of richly complex images. Drawing is foundational in his process. Using a range of both wet and dry media, including graphite, charcoal, pastel, ink, watercolor, photography, collage, acrylic, and oil, his explorations of the human body and nature reflect transformative contemplations that begin with intense and absorbed observation and result in images at the edge of abstraction.
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Carbone received a BFA at The Philadelphia College of Art (now The University of the Arts). For more than 40 years, he was the Creative Director and Artist-in-Residence for the Carbone Smolan Agency, which he co-founded in New York City in 1977 with designer Leslie Smolan. Their many clients include award-winning assignments for Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Christie’s, Coach, and The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and internationally esteemed art institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art, LACMA, The Jewish Museum, The Morgan Library, and The Musée du Louvre. The American Institute of Graphic Arts recognized this body of work with a Lifetime Achievement Award In 2014.
Carbone has taught at the School of Visual Arts and lectured at Yale University, Carnegie Mellon, the Rhode Island School of Design, RIT, and the University of the Arts. He has presented his work at the Cooper Hewitt, The Denver Art Museum, and the High Museum in Atlanta. He has spoken at TEDx about his career in Art and Design and writes about these for PRINT magazine, Fast Company, and Huffington Post. He is the author of the book The Virtuoso: Face to Face with 40 Extraordinary Talents, featuring photographic portraits by Howard Schatz.
He has been an avid composer and guitarist for more than 50 years. His studios are in Piermont, NY, along the Hudson River.