Norman Jenkins Yanikun was an American painter born near Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., July 16, 1917. "The year of the Russian Revolution", he said proudly.
His parents were Jewish Russian immigrants from Riga, Latvia, USSR.
Norman studied at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts in the late 1940's. "But my first teacher was the kid who lived upstairs when I was 9, Pascuale Napoli. Man, when I saw what he could do, I wanted to do it too! The shame is, he became a barber to support his family and I became the painter."
Norman was married; he served in the U. S. Army, and has a son living in the United States.
He was divorced when "my wife wanted me to get a 'real' job", and fled to Paris when she pursued him for alimony.
He was working as a cartoonist for a New York newspaper and heard that "life was good for artists in Europe". Norman lived in Paris almost twenty years with other expatriote painters. He studied painting on the G.I. Bill and played chess.
In 1957 Norman came to Mallorca for the first time, riding from Paris on his Vespa. He travelled between Paris and Deià for the next 8-10 years; spent summers in Deià, and stayed at the Pension Sa Fonda. He painted in the back garden, in their chicken house, even under a bridge next to the torrent.
He returned to New York in the late 60's, but "couldn't paint for all the concrete". Norman returned to Deià in 1973-'74, rented the house Font Fresca, 55 and remained in Deià permanently.
Norman became one of the founding members of "Es Deu Des Teix", a group of artists and sculptors living in Deià during the early 1960's.
Except for a few local exhibitions in Deià, Palma, and Madrid; Norman rarely showed his work except in the "sanctum of his studio dwelling". Nor did he seek fame. But when he was dying, when the "shit hit the fan", as he called having Cancer; when he knew he had no time to finish his work himself, then he said, "Get my name out!"
In Deià, Norman was famous. Famous for waiting for pretty women to get off the bus; famous for his jokes and doodles and magic tricks; famous for his mastery of chess and his bellydance at the Cala; famous for his moonlight walks; for his flute and improvised piano conciertos; and famous for his truly Bohemian spirit.
"March to the beat of your own drummer", Norman said, and painted drummers. And, "Chess isn't a game; it teaches you life!"
Norman also said, "We are each born with a gift and we must use that gift... or go crazy". Norman never stopped using his gift until he died, April 16, 1988. We hope that by showing his work in Deià, Norman Yanikun can begin to receive the recognition that he was unable to achieve in his lifetime. Norman's last wish was to have a museum in Deià.
REX KENNARD/SUSIE TOWNSEND
The Yanikun Museum - Font Fresca, 55. Deià - is open on Sunday's from 14:00 till 18:30 or by appointment, phone 676 324234
