Louise Nevelson (1899 – 1988)  Louise Nevelson was born in Kiev, Czarist Russia, now the Ukraine, as Leah Berliawsky.  Her family arrived in America in 1905, part of the epic Jewish migration to the US between the 1880’s and the 1920’s.  Nevelson married and settled in New York.

Though establishing herself as a woman artist in the male-dominated art world was complicated and costly, Nevelson earned the respect of critics, peers and collectors alike.  She was recognized during her lifetime as “the grande dame of contemporary sculpture” exerting great influence in the postwar American art scene.

She created innovative large scale “assemblages”, sculptural forms comprised of found wood objects, and abstract expressionist “crates” grouped together to form an original object.  Her use of cast-off wood parts, street throwaways, frequently arranged in box-like configurations and spray-painted one color, was a revelation for many.  The success of these pieces led to a number of public commissions ranging in size from table-top to human scale columns to room size installations in public spaces.

Nevelson’s work throughout the 20th century has been linked to Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, feminism and installation art.  In truth, Nevelson’s work encompasses all the aforementioned styles while remaining entirely unique in its content and presentation.

Most recently, in 2008 at the Signature Theatre in NYC, Ms. Nevelson was the subject of an original play by Edward Albee entitled “Occupant”.