Sidney Geist (April 11, 1914 – October 18, 2005) was an American artist. He was known for his sculpture and his art criticism.
Biography
Geist was born April 11, 1914, in
Paterson, New Jersey
Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. and graduated from Eastside High School in 1931.Levine, Robert Haines "Eastside High Graduates Create New Hall of Fame" ''Paterson Evening News'', January 26, 1931. Accessed August 28, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Norma Holden and Jess Weiner, and Sidney Geist. who received the majority of votes of the graduating senior class of February, 1931, are the most prominent scholars, each leading their sex In the lines of student selections." He attended St. Stephen's College now Bard College, and the
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists.
Although artists may stu ...
Galerie Huit
Galerie Huit was an art collective and gallery established by American artists in Paris in 1950. During the mid-twentieth century American artists traveled and lived in Paris to study and make art. Many of the male American artists were able ...
.
Geist was a writer, contributing to
Art Digest
''Arts Magazine'' was a prominent monthly magazine devoted to fine art. It was established in 1926 and last published in 1992.
History Early years
Launched in 1926 and originally titled ''The Art Digest,'' it was printed semi-monthly from Octob ...
, Artforum, and The New Criterion. He also wrote several books including '' Brancusi: A Study of the Sculpture'' (published by Grossman in 1968
), and ''Interpreting Cézanne'' (published by Harvard University Press in 1988).
Geist taught at many universities including
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls about 15,000 undergraduate and 2,800 graduate students on a 35-acre campus.
Being New York City's first publ ...
,
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
. He was a member of the
American Abstract Artists
American Abstract Artists (AAA) was formed in 1936 in New York City, to promote and foster public understanding of abstract art. American Abstract Artists exhibitions, publications, and lectures helped to establish the organization as a major fo ...
.
Geist died October 18, 2005 in New York City.
His papers are in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution.