Sigmund Abeles
American, born 1934Self-Portrait, n.d.
Not on view
Lithograph on paper
Dimensions22 5/16 × 18 1/16 in. (56.7 × 45.9 cm)
Image: 18 1/4 × 13 3/4 in. (46.4 × 34.9 cm)
Gift of Mr. Jack B. Pierson in memory of Mr. Robert Martin Purcell, 1979.98
Like the German Expressionists, Sigmund Abeles uses the harsh severity of the carved line to create an emotionally charged rendering. Abeles' work and teachings are focused on an intense and empathetic investigation of the human figure and how it relates to our times. First and foremost, he believes that an artist should learn how to draw accurately, from life as well as from memory and imagination, in order to communicate what he sees, senses and dreams.
Born in 1934 in Brooklyn, New York, Sigmund Abeles grew up in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Following graduation in 1955 from University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Fine Arts, Abeles studied at the Art Students League of New York, and received a Masters in Fine Arts from Columbia University in 1957. Abeles' work has been critically acclaimed and he has been a member of the prestigious National Academy since 1990. Some of his awards include the National Institute of Fine Arts and Letters Award, a National Council of Arts and Humanities Sabbatical Grant, and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant for Graphics. His works are in permanent collections of leading institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, and Museum of Modern Art, all in New York City.
