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Born in Paris, Emil Jean Kosa Jr. traveled between Europe and America as a young man, ultimately joining his family in the United States in 1921. He studied at the California Institute of the Arts, and became a naturalized citizen in 1927. Kosa would emerge as a prominent member of the California Scene Painting movement, and in the 1930s his work began to be widely exhibited, including with a solo show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In 1933, he took work with 20th Century Fox’s newly formed special effects department, helping to develop the studio’s first logo and quickly becoming his department’s art director. Kosa held this position for the next 35 years and, in 1964, became the first person to receive an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
