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George Sugarman
1912–1999

Introduction

George Sugarman (11 May 1912 – 25 August 1999) was an American artist working in the mediums of drawing, painting, and sculpture. Often described as controversial and forward-thinking, Sugarman's prolific body of work defies a definitive style. He pioneered the concepts of pedestal-free sculpture and is best known for his large-scale, vividly painted metal sculptures. His innovative approach to art-making lent his work a fresh, experimental approach and caused him to continually expand his creative focus. During his lifetime, he was dedicated to the well-being of young emerging artists, particularly those who embraced innovation and risk-taking in their work. In his will, Sugarman provided for the establishment of The George Sugarman Foundation, Inc.

A 1934 graduate of the City College of New York, Sugarman served in the United States Navy from 1941 to 1945, assigned to the Pacific theater. He resumed his education in Paris, studying with Cubist sculptor Ossip Zadkine. He returned to New York City in 1955 at the age of 39 to begin his career as an artist. In 1965, Sugarman participated in the critically acclaimed Concrete Expressionism show curated by critic Irving Sandler at New York University, which also featured the work of sculptors Ronald Bladen and David Weinrib and painters Al Held and Knox Martin.

Wikidata identifier

Q1920946

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Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Accessed March 15, 2024.

Introduction

Sugarman's large-scale, colored sculptures were initially made of painted wood and then of painted aluminum; his work is shown nationally and internationally.

Roles

Artist, painter, sculptor

ULAN identifier

500016027

Names

George Sugarman

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Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed March 15, 2024.



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