Kenneth Victor Young (1933-2017) is known for his abstract forms with washed acrylics on unprimed canvas. Initially part of an artistic circle at the University of Louisville that included Sam Gilliam and Bob Thompson, Young became associated with Washington Color School painters such as Alma Thomas, Gene Davis, and Howard Mehring after he moved to Washington D.C. in 1964. Young painted with diluted acrylics on unprimed canvas, using a combination of sponges and water that he sprayed onto the painting’s surface. In his canvases, which he usually painted on the floor, he created what he referred to as order from chaos, allowing components to collide in a manner that was both controlled and improvisational. Kenneth Victor Young had an illustrious 35-year career as an exhibition designer for the Smithsonian Institution and his love for jazz influenced the movement and vitality of his work.
Young's work is included in public museum collections, including the National Gallery of Art, Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.