Obituary of Christopher Layton Muhlert

Christopher Layton Muhlert, 83, of Boalsburg, died Tuesday January 3, 2017 at his residence. Born March 24, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of late Armin W. and Elizabeth Thomason Muhlert. On January 1, 1966, in Oberlin, OH, he married Jan Keene who survives. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Michael Keene Muhlert, MD and his wife, Alexis, of Germantown, TN; two grandchildren, Ella and Evan Muhlert, also of Germantown, TN; and a cousin, Barbara Powell of Charlotte, NC. He was baptized in the New Church (Swedenborgian) of Brooklyn Heights in 1940. Chris earned a B. A. in 1964 from Case-Western Reserve University and a M.A. in 1966 from Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH. He also attended Pratt Institute, New York; Union College, Schenectady, NY, and the Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland, OH. He served in the U.S. Army from 1954–56. Chris also worked as a preparator at the Cleveland Museum of Art (1960–64) and taught at Oberlin College (1966–69) and the Corcoran School of Art (1970–75). While at Oberlin (1964–68), he began making large-scale drawings in graphite and large circular paintings and constructions. He did not turn some of his attention to photography until he and Jan moved to Texas in 1980. Collage was another medium he enjoyed beginning in the mid-1990s. His works were acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art; Allen Memorial Art Museum (Oberlin); Phillip Morris Corp. and Joseph Hirshhorn (Washington, D.C.); Prudential Insurance Co. (Merrillville, IN); Brenton Bank of Cedar Rapids; Alcon Laboratories (Fort Worth, TX) and numerous private collections. Group exhibitions include: "Annual May Show," Cleveland Museum of Art, 1962–68; "Black and White," Smithsonian traveling exhibition, 1970–72; Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1974; Barbara Fiedler Gallery (D.C.), 1976. One-man shows include: Davenport Municipal Art Gallery (Iowa), 1977; Barbara Fiedler Gallery, 1978; Carlin Gallery (Fort Worth), 1983; Graham Gallery (Houston), 1984; Moudy Art Gallery, Texas Christian University, 1987; William Campbell Contemporary Art, 1987–90; and Dutch Phillips & Co., 1993_94 (Dallas-Fort Worth, TX). Memorial contributions may be made to: Centre Life Link EMS, P.O. Box 272, State College, PA 16804–0272 or Palmer Museum of Art, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802. The family wishes to thank Chris' special caregivers from Home Instead, Becky Houts and Kathy Snavely. A celebration of Chris' life and work will be held at a later date. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.