Biography
In 1996, after 36 years in book publishing I retired from the business and decided to be involved directly in the arts, not just serve on some boards as a trustee, but actually participate in the arts. Upon retirement I signed up for a charcoal drawing course at the Interlaken School of Art, now known as IS183, located just outside of downtown Stockbridge, MA. I had a wonderful instructor, Rosalind Gordon, who pushed all the right buttons and who enthused me to continue my art education at the 92nd Street Y in NYC where I took an anatomy drawing course as well as an introductory course in watercolor. I immediately fell in love with watercolor. I loved the transparency of the medium. I loved the way the pigments moved when I painted wet on wet and how I could control a fine line when I painted with a dry brush. I loved the fact that I had to think through how I was going to apply the paint on the paper and diligently plan ahead. I loved the challenge of watercolor. After 3 years at the Y where classes ran only once a week I transferred to The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts located on East 89th Street where I could paint 4 days a week from 9AM to noon. Now I have built a studio in my home in the Berkshires where I try to work at least 2 or 3 days a week in the summertime. Painting puts me into another world.
I have had 3 one-man exhibitions in Norfolk, CT and one in the Barrington Stage Company theatre lobby in Pittsfield, MA. My work has also been displayed in many group shows at the New Marlborough and Sandisfield Meeting Houses, at the Century Association in NYC and The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts in NYC where in 2009 I was awarded the REVA Paul prize for my landscape painting “Winter Tennis” and again in 2012 for my Barbados painting called “Morning View from Porch”. I sign my paintings “Grand-Pere Quinson” to remind my progeny of my French roots.
My book publishing career began at Simon & Schuster in 1960 after I graduated from Williams College and served in the US Marine Corps. After 5 years I went to Golden Books for another 5 years and then became President of Larousse & Co., a subsidiary of Librairie Larousse in Paris, France. I stayed there 12 years then moved to Macmillan Publishing as President of its General Books and Reference Divisions. In 1988 I became CEO, Publisher and President of Henry Holt & Co. a subsidiary of the Holtzbrinck Publishing empire out of Stuttgart, Germany from which I retired in 1996.
Today I serve as Vice-Chairman and Trustee of the Museum of the City of NY, as a Trustee of the Leopold Schepp Foundation as well as Graywolf Publishing. I have also served on a number of boards, among them, the Eudora Welty Foundation, Manhattan Theater Club, the Robert Frost Place and the Lycée Francais de NY to name just a few. I reside in New York City and the Berkshires.
To see more of my paintings go to “www.brunoaquinson.com”
To order contact me directly go to bquinson@yahoo.com or call #347-453-9274