The Death of the Inventor of Paint by Numbers

Portrait of Dan Robbins: the inventor of paint by numbers, who died on April 1, 2019.

 

An interesting reminder of his remarkable story!

 

This artist invented this revolutionary concept in the 1950s. He was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci taught his students to develop their artistic spirit through numbered drawings.

How to paint when you are just starting out? The solution: a painting kit with coded pots, brushes and a canvas with numbers! It's that simple!

Dan Robbins had this idea in 1949, when he was working for the Palmer Paint Company in Detroit. He had plans to develop a creative product to entertain adults. World War II was over and Americans had more time to pursue all sorts of hobbies.

Dan Robbins and one of his paint by numbers

This phenomenon became wildly popular in the United States overnight. For an entire generation, it became one of the favorite hobbies.

Back then there were no computers and paintings were only done by hand. The first packages were quite simple, with a few colors. Later it became more detailed and many colors were added. It became more like it is today.

 

The first Paint by Number: you won't believe this!

 

This is Robbins' first numbered painting. It is called "Abstract No. One" and is a still life. His team later created many more popular models of landscapes.

During the 1950s, more than 20 million paint-by-number kits were sold annually in the United States.

The art world has not always been enthusiastic about the concept of painting by numbers. There has often been criticism of this method because it allows anyone to create great works.

Celebrities like Andy Warhol (known for his painting) supported painting by numbers. He was a fan and did it himself.

Dan Robbins was active until the late 1980s and his works are still on display at the Detroit Historical Museum.

Robbins had a simple idea: make art accessible to everyone. Vickie‘art follows the steps of this inventor of paint by numbers, by  offering more designs and a large variety of paint by numbers .