Alfred Russell (artist)
Encyclopedia
Alfred Russell was an artist who was a member of the early New York school of Abstract Expressionist
. He exhibited in Paris and New York along with such well known painters as Willem De Kooning
, Jackson Pollock
, Ad Reinhardt
and Mark Rothko
. Later in life, Russell, disillusioned with abstraction, turning to figurative painting
, with inspiration from the classical world.
Russell, active in abstract circles in New York until 1953, was regularly included in The Whitney Annual
as well as being part of seven exhibits of MOMA's
"Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America". In New York he had three solo shows at the Peridot Gallery as well as being in early Abstract Expressionist group shows at the Sidney Janis Gallery, the Kootz Gallery and at the Galerie de France in Paris
Russell caustically renounced avant-garde abstraction in a Symposium on the Human Figure in 1953. Thereafter, Russell painted mainly in classically and surreastically figurative styles that still showed influence of abstractionism. His last New York exhibit was at the Tatischeff Gallery in 1979 as his later work was rarely exhibited. In addition to producing stylistically controversial work, after the 1950's, his latent anti-semitism had become exposed and he had essentially destroyed any chance for a continuing career outside of academia.
Receiving his M.F.A. at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
, he studied at the Art Student's League
and earned a master's degree at Columbia
. Teaching at the M.F.A program at Brooklyn College
from 1946 until 1976, when he retired, Russell influenced many younger artists in figurative painting including Gabriel Laderman
.
He is represented in the collections of the Whitney Museum
, the Brooklyn Museum
and the Detroit Institute of Arts
.
New York School
The New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
. He exhibited in Paris and New York along with such well known painters as Willem De Kooning
Willem de Kooning
Willem de Kooning was a Dutch American abstract expressionist artist who was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands....
, Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
, Ad Reinhardt
Ad Reinhardt
Adolph Frederick Reinhardt was an Abstract painter active in New York beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the 1960s. He was a member of the American Abstract Artists and was a part of the movement centered around the Betty Parsons Gallery that became known as Abstract Expressionism...
and Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
. Later in life, Russell, disillusioned with abstraction, turning to figurative painting
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
, with inspiration from the classical world.
Russell, active in abstract circles in New York until 1953, was regularly included in The Whitney Annual
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
as well as being part of seven exhibits of MOMA's
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
"Abstract Painting and Sculpture in America". In New York he had three solo shows at the Peridot Gallery as well as being in early Abstract Expressionist group shows at the Sidney Janis Gallery, the Kootz Gallery and at the Galerie de France in Paris
Russell caustically renounced avant-garde abstraction in a Symposium on the Human Figure in 1953. Thereafter, Russell painted mainly in classically and surreastically figurative styles that still showed influence of abstractionism. His last New York exhibit was at the Tatischeff Gallery in 1979 as his later work was rarely exhibited. In addition to producing stylistically controversial work, after the 1950's, his latent anti-semitism had become exposed and he had essentially destroyed any chance for a continuing career outside of academia.
Receiving his M.F.A. at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, he studied at the Art Student's League
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
and earned a master's degree at Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. Teaching at the M.F.A program at Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
from 1946 until 1976, when he retired, Russell influenced many younger artists in figurative painting including Gabriel Laderman
Gabriel Laderman
Gabriel Laderman was a New York painter and an early and important exponent of the Figurative revival of the 1950s and '60s.He studied with a number of leading American painters, including Hofmann, de Kooning, and Rothko....
.
He is represented in the collections of the Whitney Museum
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
and the Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts is a renowned art museum in the city of Detroit. In 2003, the DIA ranked as the second largest municipally owned museum in the United States, with an art collection valued at more than one billion dollars...
.