Stefan Knapp
Painting; Muralist
British
(Bilgoraj, Poland, 1921 - 1996, London, England)
Obituary written in the New York Times
Stefan Knapp, 75; Created Big Mural
Published: October 20, 1996

Stefan Knapp, a British muralist who created what is believed to be the largest mural in the world, died Oct. 12 at his home. He was 75.

His wife, Catherine, said the cause was a heart attack.

The 200-by-50-foot mural, which Mr. Knapp created in 1967, still wraps a vacant building in Paramus, N.J., that was once an Alexander's department store.

He invented his own enameling process, which fuses colored glass with large areas of metal, resulting in a weatherproof surface.

Mr. Knapp was born in Bilgoraj, Poland. When he was 17, Russians invaded, killed his father and sent him to Siberia. In 1942 he and other Polish prisoners were swapped for British weapons, and he became a fighter pilot in the London-based expatriate Polish Army.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons.


View the objects by this artist.