Robbins' big story about creating
and marketing paint-by-numbers kits,
as well as their evolution into the
sphere of collectibles, has been featured
in Time, Life and other major publica-
tions. Now it is told in detail through
his new book, Whatever Happened to
Pa
$ 1 z6'n . t9- By :Numbers? (Possum Hill Press;

For longtime Detroiters, the recol-
lection of people and places will touch
some familiar chords
"One of the most satisfying things
about all this is that so many people
have thought of paint-by-numbers as
part of their cultural heritage," says
Robbins, 73, a commercial artist no
longer connected to the current man-
ufacturer of paint-by-numbers sets.
"The kits have been part of three gen-
erations, and I'm working with the
Smithsonian toward an exhibition
[commemorating the hobby] over the
past 50 years."
The book follows Robbins' career,
Max Klein's Palmer Paints as original
owner of paint-by-numbers, subse-
quent manufacturers and the ups and
downs of the retail line.
"I did not get rich working [on
paint-by-numbers]," says Robbins,
whose idea has
Marc Chagalls
been passed
"I
and the Village,"
through corpo-
1911,
re-created in
rate buyouts
a
paint-by-numbers
that kept him in
format for the Jewish
the field for 25
Newsby Dan
years. "[Max
Robbins.
Klein] was the
sole owner of
the company. I was an employee.
Every concept, every design, every
piece of art I ever did belonged to the
company.
Robbins traces his interest in art
back to his childhood, when some
outstanding posters completed for the
Jewish Community Center won him a
meeting with famed baseball star
Hank Greenberg. Artistic studies
became intense at Cass Technical High
School, where he displayed and sold
his first painting, a study in contrasts
in which a drab and weary street ped-
dler is shown against the backdrop of
bright and energized city lights.
After completing high school,
Robbins enlisted in the Army in 1943
and applied his talents to camouflage
design and map drawing. When his
tour of duty was completed, he
returned to Detroit and found work at
Palmer Paints, starting as a graphics
artist before devising the artistic exer-
cises sold under the commercial name
Craft Master Oil Painting Sets.

6/11
1999

82 Detroit Jewish News