Polish born Morris Katz (1932 – 2010) survived World War II in a Displaced Person’s Camp, finding a way – at age 13 – to study art under the tutelage of Dr. Hans Fokler of the Munich Academy, one of Germany’s most prestigious Art Schools. Four years later, in 1949, Katz made his way to America, landing a job in New York as a budding carpenter while honing his skills as a painter.

A tireless self-promoter with a crowd-pleasing sense of humor, Katz combined his unusual painting techniques – using a paint mixing palette knife and simple toilet paper as his tools – with his knack for wowing audiences. Through innumerable television and live appearances, Katz became a much-loved celebrity, known for his incredible talent for painting entire works of quality art at lightning fast speeds. Indeed, Katz holds two Guinness World Records for “Fastest Painter” and “Most Prolific Artist”, having created approximately 280,000 original, one-of-a-kind pieces during his lifetime. His self-described method of “Instant Art” created admirers and collectors all over the world, as well as wags who dubbed him “The King of Schlock Art” and “The King of Toilet Paper Art”.

Nonetheless, Katz’s creations remain highly collectible, much admired works of art, covering a wide variety of themes. From landscapes and city scenes to Jewish and Bible-inspired portraits, from Olympic athletes in action to coastal seascapes and classic still lifes, Katz painted it all in mere minutes, and sometimes in seconds. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not officially listed Katz a “human oddity for his ability to create entire works of art in less than five minutes,” with his fastest time for finishing a single piece recorded at under 30 seconds. Katz finished each of his creations with his signature and the year etched into the paint itself rather than added on later – another special touch that makes the art of Morris Katz so unique.