William Utermohlen

William Utermohlen
Self-portrait, mixed media on paper, 1967
Born	William Charles Utermohlen (1933-12-05)December 5, 1933 South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	March 21, 2007(2007-03-21) (aged 73) London, England
Citizenship	United States (until 1992) United Kingdom (from 1992)
Education	Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts
Years active	1957–2002
Known for	Drawing self-portraits after his diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease
Spouse	Patricia Redmond ​ (m. 1965)​ [a]
Signature

William Charles Utermohlen (December 5, 1933 – March 21, 2007) was an American figurative artist known for his late-period self-portraits completed after his diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease. He was diagnosed in 1995, having had progressive memory loss since 1991. After diagnosis he began a series of self-portraits influenced by both the figurative painter Francis Bacon and cinematographers from the German Expressionism movement. The last of his self-portraits was completed c. 2001, some six years before his death.

Born to first-generation German immigrants in South Philadelphia, Utermohlen earned a scholarship at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) in 1951. After completing military service, he spent 1953 studying in Europe where he was inspired by Renaissance and Baroque artists. He moved to London in 1962 and married the art historian Patricia Redmond in 1965. He relocated to Massachusetts in 1972 to teach art at Amherst College before returning to London in 1975. His early work consists of separate six cycles, each of which covers themes and subject matter ranging from mythology to war to nudes.

Most of Utermohlen's life was spent in obscurity. His later works began to attract attention at the beginning of the 21st century. His self-portraits especially are seen as important in the understanding of the gradual effects of neurocognitive disorders, and have become one of the most well-recognised works of art about Alzheimer's. His late paintings have been widely displayed since his story became known in popular medicine literature.
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