George Segal (
November 26,
1924 , New York -
June 9 2000, New Brunswick, New Jersey) was an
American painter and
sculptor associated with the
Pop Art movement. He was presented with a
National Medal of Arts in 1999.
Works
thumb|George Segal, Text accompaniment to The Holocaust Memorial at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, dedicated 1984.
Although Segal started his art career as a painter, his best known works are cast lifesize figures and the
tableaux the figures inhabited. In place of traditional
casting techniques, Segal pioneered the use of
plaster bandages (plaster-impregnated gauze strips designed for making
orthopedic casts) as a sculptural medium. In this process, he first wrapped a model with bandages in sections, then removed the hardened forms and put them back together with more plaster to form a hollow shell. These forms were not used as molds; the shell itself became the final sculpture, including the rough texture of the bandages. Initially, Segal kept the sculptures stark white, but a few years later he began painting them (usually in bright
monochrome). Eventually he started having the final forms cast in bronze, sometimes
patinated white to resemble the original plaster.
Segal's figures had minimal color and detail, which gave them a ghostly,
melancholic appearance. In larger works, one or more figures were placed in anonymous, typically urban environments such as a street corner, bus, or diner. In contrast to the figures, the environments were built using
found objects. An example of this work is the sculpture,
Chance Meeting, which sold in 2001 for US $600,000. It was one of his highest selling works. The work was created in 1989 and was cast in bronze.
Life
From the 1950s until his death Segal lived on a chicken farm in
South Brunswick Township, New Jersey. He only ran the chicken farm for a few years, but he used the space to hold annual picnics for his friends from the
New York art world. His location in central
New Jersey also led to friendships with professors from the
Rutgers University art department. Segal introduced several Rutgers professors to
John Cage, and took part in Cage's legendary experimental composition classes.
Allan Kaprow coined the term
Happening to describe the art performances that took place on Segal's farm in the Spring of 1957. Events for
Yam Fest also took place there. Segal was married to Helen Segal from 1946 until his death in 2000.
Films
- George Segal (1979). Directed by Michael Blackwood. Documentary about Segal, who discusses and is shown creating his bronze sculpture Abraham and Isaac, which was originally intended as a memorial for the Kent State shootings of 1970.
- George Segal: American Still Life (2001). Directed by Amber Edwards. Documentary about the life and work of the internationally acclaimed sculptor, whose trademark life-size plaster casts are familiar to art lovers and ordinary citizens all over the world. USA Today called him "a cultural icon." Segal's sculptures are in major museums and public spaces throughout the country, from the FDR Memorial in Washington to the Holocaust Memorial in San Francisco. Through scenes of him at work casting a model in his studio, interviews with fellow artists, critics and historians, Segal's own thoughtful analysis, and rare archival footage of the Pop Art movement in the '60s, the documentary tells the story of one man's search for a unique way to express himself.
See also
