ISTORY

Le Kinff was born in Paris in 1949. Her father was French, her mother Brazilian. At age 18, she visited Italy, and it was at this point, after years of making art, that she became serious about becoming a professional painter. Unexpectedly, she ended up spending the better part of 12 years in Italy, in part studying with Italian artists, immersing herself in the Italian Renaissance and Baroque periods, and learning a wide range of techniques, such as tempera, gold leaf, printmaking, and especially engraving — techniques that would serve her well over the years and allow her to express herself in a broad range of media, more than most artists.

INSPIRATION

Le Kinff works without a model and her inspiration comes from travel, her dreams, reading and her imagination. Her subjects are extremely diverse, and include musical scenes, poetic interpretations of people caught in an intimate moment of their lives, and couples elegantly dressed, out for a night on the town. Her influences include the hidden sensuality of Braque, the masterful drawing of Matisse, the elegance of Modigliani and the precocious maturity of Egon Schiele who died at the age of 28. She also finds inspiration in the work of Gauguin, Picasso, and Gustav Klimt.

• EDUCATION

  • Studied at the South Tyrol Academy of Art in Brunico, where among other techniques she learned to paint on wood with casein.
  • Took an internship in Austria where she began painting on wood.
  • Perfected her technique on wood with the Italian master, Macchario. He teaches her the art of glacis and several secrets of egg or casein-based preparations, a technique which goes back to the Renaissance, but which she feels is very adaptable to modern expression.

• ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • In 1980, Le Kinff was awarded a State Commission by the Imprimerie Nationale, engraved plates for the tri-centennial of the Château of Versailles, illustrating the short stories of Maupassant and Colette.
  • In 1989, Le Kinff was awarded a State Commission by then-Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac, a series of engravings of the French revolution to celebrate the bicentennial (1789-1989).
  • In 1994, Le Kinff's first serigraph was published by Park West Gallery in Southfield, Michigan.
  • In 1998, Le Kinff was selected as the Official World Cup Artist and exhibited in the cities where the matches took place: Montpellier, Saint-Denis, Nantes, Marseilles, Toulouse, and Lyon.
  • Linda was honored to be the official artist of the 2010 Kentucky Derby, featuring her work on posters, prints, tickets, racing programs and officially licensed products for the 136th Kentucky Oaks and Derby.
  • In 2008, a catalog raisonné of Le Kinff's graphic works was published by Park West Gallery with an introduction by art historian, essayist, art critic and curator for several museums, Joseph Jacobs.