1986 - 2012 The School of The Art Institute of Chicago Adjunct Associate Professor Department of Painting & Drawing
2000 - 2012 Resident Director, SAIC Prague Studio Program with The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague
Exhibitions Individual Exhibitions: 2017 Thurn - Taxis Palace Prague, Czech Republic 2015 Kunratice Zámek Prague, Czech Republic 2010 Cressman Center for Visual Arts Gallery Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky 2002 Sonia Zaks Gallery Chicago, Illinois
1999 University Club of Chicago Chicago, Illinois
1998 Sonia Zaks Gallery Chicago, Illinois
1996 Sonia Zaks Gallery Chicago, Illinois
1993 Sonia Zaks Gallery Chicago, Illinois Group Exhibitions: 2018 Sweet, Golden, Delicious Northern Illinois University Art Museum DeKalb, Illinois
2008 Ahh...Decadence! Sullivan Galleries The School of the Art Institute of Chicago 2007 Dekadence Dance The Academy of Fine Arts in Prague Prague, Czech Republic 2005 Love-Art-Religion-War-Decadence-Death Gallerie Doubner Prague, Czech Republic 2000 The Figure at the Millenium, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago Self-Portraits, Printworks Gallery, Chicago
1997 Chicago Post-War Paintings, The Smart Museum, University of Chicago
1996 Art in Chicago: 1945-1995, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
1995 Seeing the Figure Now, The Betty Rymer Gallery, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Flora: Contemporary Artists and the World of Flowers, The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin (traveled to Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont; New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque; Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, South Carolina; Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, through 1996)
1993 Party Mix, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
1992 Face to Face: Self Portraits by Chicago Artists, Chicago Cultural Center
1991 Realism, Figurative Painting, and the Chicago Viewpoint: Selections from the Permanent Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
1989 New Still Life, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, Illinois
Dennis Adrian: A Critical Subject, Struve Gallery, Chicago
1988 Madonna and Child, Zolla Lieberman Gallery, Chicago
1987 Figure Painting in Chicago, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
1986 Portraits from the Permanent Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Chicago Painters, Krannert Art Museum, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana
1985 Then and Now, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
1984 80th Exhibition by Artists of Chicago and Vicinity, The Art Institute of Chicago
Observations: Four Realist Painters, N.A.M.E. Gallery, Chicago
1983 Chicago: Some Other Traditions, Madison Art Center, Wisconsin (traveled to Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Norman MacKensie Art Gallery, University of Regina, Saskatchewan; Sarah Campbell Blaffer Art Gallery, University of Houston; Loch Haven Art Center, Orlando; Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum; Arkansas Art center, Little Rock through 1986)
1982-83 Emerging Artists, The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago
SELECTED COLLECTIONS: Anne Abrons and David Sharpe, New York Rolf AchiIles, Chicago James Adkins, Chicago Dennis Adrian, Chicago Gretchen and Tom Anderson, Chicago Lisa Audi, Chicago Don and Frances Baxter, Houston, Texas Richard Born, Chicago Martin Bourgeault and Dita Limová, Paris, France John Bross, Chicago Mr. and Mrs. Henry Buchbinder, Chicago Jana Burianková, Prague, Czech Republic Richard Caitung, Chicago Chicago Public Library Mary and Roy Cullen, Houston, Texas Meredith Cullen, Dallas, Texas George Danforth, Chicago Edward Dickson, Chicago Denise and Stephen F. Doctor, Chicago Ann Englander, Chicago Marjorie Friedman, Riverwoods, Illinois Mr. and Mrs. Larry Gerber, Highland Park, Illinois Wally Goodman and Patrick Duffy, Las Vegas, Nevada Dr. Bill and Ginny Gordon, Chicago Andrew Greeley, Chicago Klaus and Gisela Groenke, Berlin, Germany Keith Hartley, Edinburgh, Scotland Peter Hawrylewicz and Ken Lieber, Miami Beach, Florida Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville Ruth Horwich, Chicago Matt Houtsma and Linda Ross, Chicago Jones/Faulkner Collection, Chicago Patricia John and Kenneth Northcott, Chicago Jan and Sheldon Kirshner, Chicago Vladina Krumpová, Prague, Czech Republic Carl Lewis, Houston, Texas Leon Lyons, Newport Beach, California Deeann Levy, Chicago Alice Medel, Laguna, California Mark Pollack, Chicago Inge Maser, Chicago Marilyn Oshman, Houston, Texas Rayovac Corporation, Madison, Wisconsin Tom and Lisa Sebastian, San Franciso, California Linda Sandel, St. Louis, Missouri John and Aileen Schleob, Chicago David Schwartz, Seattle David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago Susan Snow, Chicago Michael Stavy, Chicago Donna and Howard Stone, Chicago Lolli Thurm, Chicago Howard Tullman, Chicago Union League Club of Chicago Cathy Upjohn, Chicago Otto Urban, Kovary, Czech Republic Jan and Barbora Vančura, Prague, Czech Republic Michelle Vishny, Chicago Lisa Wainwright, Chicago Timothy Wittman, Chicago BIBLIOGRAPHY: Adrian, Dennis. Richard Willenbrink - New Paintings, Chicago, Illinois: Sonia Zaks Gallery, 1998
____________. "Richard Willenbrink" In Seeing the Figure Now, Chicago, Illinois: The Betty Rymer Gallery at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1996.
____________. New Still Life, Evanston, Illinois: Evanston Art Center, 1989.
____________. "Richard Willenbrink:" In Chicago: Some Other Traditions, Madison, Wisconsin: Madison Art Center, 1983.
Artner, Alan. "Realists Repeat History to Distraction:" Chicago Tribune, 30 March 1984.
____________. “New Goods at Carson’s:” Chicago Tribune, 4 September 2008.
Bonesteel, Michael. "New Life for StilI Life," Pioneer Press Newspaper, 28 September 1989.
Furnari, Rachel. “Disaster and Progress,” Newcity Art, art.newcity.com, September 2008
Garver, Thomas H, "Flowers and the Spheres of Life: Some Personal Thoughts about Artists and Flowers" and "Richard WilIenbrink." In Flora: Contemporary Artists and the World of Flowers. Wausau, Wisconsin: Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, 1995.
Hanson, Henry. "Artworks:” Chicago Magazine 40:1 (January 1991): 17-19.
____________. "Discovering a Painter in Pilsen” Chicago Magazine 32:5 (May 1983): 114.
____________. "Go figure” Chicago Magazine 42:4 (April 1993): 16.
Hafferkamp, Jack. “Ah…Decadence,” Edge; edgechicago.com, September 2008
Hixson, Kathryn. “New Still Life.” Arts Magazine 64:4 (December 1989): 105-6.
Holg, Garrett. "New Still Life [at] Evanston Art Center.” New Art Examiner, 17:5 (January 1990): 41-42.
____________. "Self-Portrait Chicago:” Chicago Sun-Times, 23 February 1992.
Isaacs, Deanna. “From Department Store to Art Department:” Chicago Reader, 4 September 2008.
Leonhart, Mark Michael. "Observations: Four Realist Painters," New Art Examiner 11:10 (September 1984): 16.
Linn, Bruce. “Richard Willenbrink: Figure Paintings, Drawings & Etchings,” Hite Art Institute, Louisville, Kentucky, 2010 McCracken, David. "Hollywood Makes an Impression on Artist:” Chicago Tribune, 3 November 1989.
Polanski, G. Jurek. “Self-Portaits 2000: An exhibition of Portraits by 66 Artists,” www.artscope.net, 2000.
Richter, Marianne. “Richard Willenbrink” in Union League Club of Chicago Art Collection, Chicago, Illinois: Union League Club of Chicago, 2003.
Vine, Richard. “Where the Wild Things Were,” Art in America, May 1997
Wainwright, Lisa. “Richard Willenbrink” in Ahh...Decadence, Chicago, Illinois: Sullivan Galleries at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2008.
Warren, Lynne. “Richard Willenbrink” in Art in Chicago, 1945-1995, Chicago, Illinois: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, 1996.