John Ingvard Kjargaard

Who was John Ingvard Kjargaard?

John Ingvard Kjargaard was an American painter, printmaker and collage artist. He was born in Denmark in 1902 and moved to the United States at an early age. He studied art at Cooper Union in New York City and continued his studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and later with Josef Albers at the University of Hawaii. While still a student, he went to work during summer vacation in the art department of a San Francisco engraving firm, which led to his start as a color etcher.

In 1937, he came to Honolulu under a year's contract as a photo-engraver working for Paradise of the Pacific magazine. He became a permanent employee of the firm and remained in Hawaii.

The Library of Congress, the Mint Museum of Art, and the Honolulu Museum of Art are among the public collections holding work by John Ingvard Kjargaard.