George Segal (November 26, 1924 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

associated with the pop art movement. He was presented with the United States National Medal of Arts in 1999.

Works

Although Segal started his art career as a painter, his best known works are cast life-size figures and the

tableaux The International Conference on Automated Reasoning with Analytic Tableaux and Related Methods (TABLEAUX) is an annual international academic conference that deals with all aspects of automated reasoning with analytic tableaux. Periodically, it jo ...

the figures inhabited. In place of traditional

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a ''casting'', which is ejected ...

techniques, Segal pioneered the use of

plaster Plaster is a building material used for the protective or decorative coating of walls and ceilings and for moulding and casting decorative elements. In English, "plaster" usually means a material used for the interiors of buildings, while "re ...

bandage A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to or to restrict the movement of a part of the body. When used with a dressing, the dressing is applie ...

s (plaster-impregnated gauze strips designed for making

orthopedic cast An orthopedic cast, or simply cast, is a shell, frequently made from plaster or fiberglass, that encases a limb (or, in some cases, large portions of the body) to stabilize and hold anatomical structures—most often a broken bone (or bones), in ...

s) 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 A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochrom ...

colors. Eventually he started having the final forms cast in bronze, sometimes patinated white to resemble the original plaster. Segal's figures have minimal color and detail, which give them a ghostly, melancholic appearance. In larger works, one or more figures are 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.

Life

Segal was born in New York; his Jewish parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe. His parents ran a butcher shop in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, then moved to a poultry farm in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

where Segal grew up. He attended Stuyvesant High School, as well as the Pratt Institute, the Cooper Union, and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, from which he graduated in 1949 with a teaching degree. In 1946, he married Helen Steinberg and they bought another chicken farm in

South Brunswick, New Jersey South Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located within the Raritan Valley region and is an outer-ring suburb of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of th2020 Uni ...

, where he lived for the rest of his life. During the few years he ran the chicken farm, Segal held annual picnics at the site to which he invited his friends from the New York art world. His proximity to central New Jersey fostered friendships with professors from the

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

art department. Segal introduced several Rutgers professors to John Cage, and took part in Cage's legendary experimental composition classes.

Allan Kaprow Allan Kaprow (August 23, 1927 – April 5, 2006) was an American painter, assemblagist and a pioneer in establishing the concepts of performance art. He helped to develop the " Environment" and " Happening" in the late 1950s and 1960s, as well ...

coined the term happening to describe the art performances that took place on Segal's farm in the Spring of 1957. Events for

Yam Festival The New Yam Festival of the Igbo people (''Orureshi in the idoma area'', Iwa ji, Iri ji or Ike ji, Otute depending on dialect) is an annual cultural festival by the Igbo people that is held at the end of the rainy season in early August.

also took place there. After his death on June 9, 2000, he was interred at Washington Cemetery in South Brunswick, New Jersey. His widow, Helen Segal, kept his memory and works alive, until her death in 2014, through the George and Helen Segal Foundation. The foundation continues this mission. George and Helen had three children.

Notable works

* ''The Truck'' (1966) * ''The Billboard'' (1966) - included in the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection, Albany, NY * ''The Laundromat (1966–67) * ''The Costume Party'' (1965–72) – housed at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum * ''Parking Garage'' (1968) - installed at the Paul Robeson Library at

Rutgers University-Camden Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

* '' Hot Dog Stand'' (1978) - installed at the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and wa ...

* ''Abraham and Isaac'' (1978–79) – commissioned in memory of the 1970

Kent State shootings The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre,"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years bef ...

; housed at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

's Modern Sculpture Garden * ''

Gay Liberation The gay liberation movement was a social and political movement of the late 1960s through the mid-1980s that urged lesbians and gay men to engage in radical direct action, and to counter societal shame with gay pride.Hoffman, 2007, pp.xi-xiii ...

'' (1980) – commissioned in memory of the 1969

Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...

; the first piece of public art dedicated to

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 33 ...

; two castings, one now housed at the Gay Liberation Monument, Christopher Street Park, Manhattan; the other at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

's Main Quad * ''The Commuters'' (1982) – installed in the New York City

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus station, bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving abo ...

* ''Japanese Couple against a Brick Wall'' (1982) –

Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single col ...

* ''

Holocaust Memorial at California Palace of the Legion of Honor The ''Holocaust Memorial'' at California Palace of the Legion of Honor is a Holocaust memorial in San Francisco, California, in Lincoln Park, overlooking the Golden Gate. It was created by artist George Segal out of white painted bronze. In 198 ...

'' (1984) in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

* ''Chance Meeting'' (1991) – installed on campus of the

University of Hawaii at Manoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

*''Depression Bread Line'' (1991) - installed in the rooftop Sculpture Garden of the

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), formerly known as the Madison Art Center, is an independent, non-profit art museum located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin. MMoCA is dedicated to exhibiting, collecting, and preserving modern and co ...

(Madison, WI) * ''Street Crossing'' (1992) – installed in the College Avenue Promenade at

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

Recognition

* The George Segal Gallery at

opened in spring 2006. * His collected papers are housed in the

Princeton University Library Princeton University Library is the main library system of Princeton University. With holdings of more than 7 million books, 6 million microforms, and 48,000 linear feet of manuscripts, it is among the largest libraries in the world by number of ...

Honors and awards

* (1992) Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award,

International Sculpture Center The International Sculpture Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1960 by Elden Tefft and James A. Sterritt at the University of Kansas. It is currently located on the old New Jersey Fairground in Hamilton, New Jersey Its goal is ...

, Hamilton, New Jersey, United States ; * (1997)

Praemium Imperiale Prince Takamatsu The Praemium Imperiale ( ja, 高松宮殿下記念世界文化賞, Takamatsu-no-miya Denka Kinen Sekai Bunka-shō, World Culture Prize in Memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu) is an international art prize inaugur ...

, Japan ; * (1999) National Medal of Arts, United States .

Films

*Segal's legs appeared in

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

's 1971 film ''

Up Your Legs Forever ''Up Your Legs Forever'' is a 1971 film by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The film was made on 14 December 1970 on West 61st Street in Manhattan, New York City, though the couple did not have permits to work in the United States at that time. The fi ...

''. *''George Segal'' (1980). 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

of 1970. *''George Segal: American Still Life'' (2001). Directed by Amber Edwards. Television documentary about his life and work.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *Busch, Julia M. (1974)
''A Decade of Sculpture: The New Media in the 1960s''
The Art Alliance Press: Philadelphia
Associated University Presses

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. .

External links

George and Helen Segal Foundation

The George Segal Papers at Princeton University

Retrieved April 21, 2011
''The Commuters'', Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York City
Retrieved April 21, 2011

(January 3, 1983]
George Segal – "Portraits in Plaster". The Baltimore Museum of Art: Baltimore, Maryland, 1967
Retrieved June 26, 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Segal, George 1924 births 2000 deaths 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors Jewish sculptors Jewish American artists American pop artists Artists from New York City Cooper Union alumni American male artists Modern artists New York University alumni Artists from New Brunswick, New Jersey People from South Brunswick, New Jersey Pratt Institute alumni Stuyvesant High School alumni Recipients of the Praemium Imperiale United States National Medal of Arts recipients Levites Sculptors from New York (state) Sculptors from New Jersey