George Segal

ARTIST: George Segal

DOB/PLACE: 11/26/1924, New York DOD: 6/9/2000, New Brunswick, New Jersey

RESIDENCE: A chicken farm in South Brunswick Township

EDUCATION:

Pratt, Cooper Union New York University...a teaching degree,1949

EMPLOYMENT: Art and English at the local high school and at Rutgers

MAJOR SHOWS/GALLERIES/COMMISSIONS: He was the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Premium Imperiale from Japan in 1998 and a National Medal of the Arts in 1999. Major public commissions include works for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. and Legion of Honor Park in San Francisco.

MEDIA & TECHNIQUES: Painting & Sculpture, but best known for his figural tableaux. He pioneered the technique of using plaster bandages as a sculptural medium. He used minimal color in his sculptures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Segal_(artist)

CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION: He was considered one of the most influential American Artists of the 20th century. Though surrounded by POP Artists, his vision was influenced more by people than objects. A commission to create a sculpture for the FDR memorial in Washington, D.C. spawned “Depression Bread Line” which depicted 5 men waiting against a brick wall.

SUBJECT MATTER/THEMES/CONCEPTS DEALT WITH: Influenced his experiences in NYC and her people...particularly the commonplace amongst them-urban decay, diners, the homeless.

LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY:

http://www.segalfoundation.org/bio.shtml

http://www.mmoca.org/exhibitions/exhibitdetails/streetscenes/index.php

An especially excellent link:

http://www.richeast.org/htwm/artists/JM2/segal.html

researched by Janet Weyenberg