John Stephan (1906-1995) was an American painter known for his contributions to abstract art, particularly in the Hard-edge style. Born in Illinois, Stephan and his family moved to Chicago when he was eleven and later attended the University of Illinois and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Stephan’s artistic career began in the 1930s, with his first solo exhibition taking place in 1931. He worked as an Art Instructor at Jane Addams Hull House in Chicago and as a Draftsman at Western Electric before fully dedicating himself to his artistic pursuits.
Stephan’s artistic style evolved significantly over his career. He was associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement, as both a contemporary and friend to Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, and William Baziotes. His hard-edge style was part of his disc paintings, which he created exclusively for the last three decades of his artistic career. These almost-square canvases with their minimalist circular shape in the center explored subtle variations in color and composition.
Beyond his paintings, Stephan made significant contributions to the art world through the magazine “The Tiger’s Eye,” which he published between 1947–1949 with his first wife, the poet Ruth Stephan. The magazine had lasting influence in both art and literature. It featured images of previously unexhibited paintings by Kay Sage, Barnett Newman, Kurt Seligmann, and Rufino Tamayo. As well as focusing on artists from the Abstract Expressionist movement, Surrealists (both American and European), and even included painters from the Latin American avant garde.
Stephan’s work has been collected by many museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Yale University Art Gallery. and the Rose Art Museum.