Antoni Milkowski

Who is Antoni Milkowski?

Antoni Milkowski was an American minimalist sculptor.

Antoni "Tony" Milkowski was born October 7, 1935 in Evanston, Illinois. When he was two years old, the family moved to New York City. He attended Kenyon College where he received a degree in biology in 1957. For a time, he considered pursuing a career in medicine, taking additional science courses at Columbia University. Instead, in 1958, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Officers Candidate Program. While stationed in San Diego, California he took drawing and art history courses at the University of California, Berkeley extension program.

Discharged from the Marine Corps in 1961, Milkowski returned to New York and worked for a time as a recreation leader for the NYC Parks Department. The following year, he enrolled in an M.A. program at Hunter College. He worked on and off in the Queens parks during this time and also taught at the Lost Battalion Hall Recreation Center.

In 1963, while at Hunter College, Milkowski began studying with Tony Smith, Ad Reinhardt, Michael Ponce de Leon, George Sugarman and Eugene Goossen. His interactions with these artists, in addition to his meeting David Smith, cemented his desire to pursue sculpture.