On the cover: Brad Kunkle

Brad Kunkle’s work first graced an American Art Collector cover fairly early in the magazine’s history, on Issue 54 in April 2010. When the magazine staff lands a cover by an artist like Kunkle, there is a celebration in the office. It’s sometimes easy to forget that celebration is also happening in the artist’s studio.The artist in his studio in 2017.

Unconquered Sun, 2020, oil, gold and silver leaf on wood, 24 x 18". Private Collection.

“Back in 2010, getting the cover of a magazine was a big deal for me. At that point it was important validation for my career. I was working so hard and you start to doubt you have something special anymore, but then you hear people responding to a cover like that and it’s a boost for an artist,” Kunkle says, adding that all three of his covers came from Arcadia Contemporary shows. “I remember I was out to dinner with the magazine’s original editor and Steve [Diamant] from Arcadia. That was when the cover was announced to me. It felt like a big deal and it was a special experience. American Art Collector gave my work an audience I didn’t have before.”

Kunkle’s work and career have since launched into the stratosphere. He’s had many covers of American Art Collector and other magazines; he’s enjoyed sold-out shows and his work has even been featured in the intro sequence for the TV show Anne With an E. And even though Kunkle has found professional success wherever he goes, he admits that physical media, such as American Art Collector, is still a thrill to look at. “There’s an aura around books and magazines still, and it won’t ever go away for me,” he adds. “I have a bookshelf in my studio, and I love when people come over and start pulling out magazines, including magazines that have my work on the cover. What’s funny is that when I was getting started I was showing at Arcadia and I was selling artwork, but it didn’t really set in for my parents until I was on a magazine cover. As soon as they could go into a Barnes & Noble and see my work, that’s when it was real for them.”

In addition to the April 2010 issue, Kunkle has been on the December 2014 and November 2016 covers. —The Orientation, the cover art from December 2014, in a private collection in San Francisco.