Nicholas Marsicano (1908 – 1991) was an American painter and teacher of the New York School. His work was primarily based on the female figure.

Life

Marsicano was born October 1, 1908, in

Shenandoah, Pennsylvania Shenandoah is a borough in Schuylkill County in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. It is distinct from Shenandoah Heights, which is part of West Mahanoy Township immediately to the north. As of 2021, the borough's population was 4,247. Shenandoa ...

. He was educated at the

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

, Philadelphia, and later was accepted at the nearby

Barnes Foundation The Barnes Foundation is an art collection and educational institution promoting the appreciation of art and horticulture. Originally in Merion, the art collection moved in 2012 to a new building on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Penn ...

, along with

Ralston Crawford Ralston Crawford (1906–1978) was an American abstract painter, lithographer, and photographer. Early life He was born on September 5, 1906, in St. Catharines, Ontario, and spent his childhood in Buffalo, New York. He studied art beginning in ...

. During his years at the Barnes, Marsicano traveled to Europe and North Africa, Mexico, and United States. Marsicano befriended many artists of his time including

Mark Rothko Mark Rothko (), born Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz (russian: Ма́ркус Я́ковлевич Ротко́вич, link=no, lv, Markuss Rotkovičs, link=no; name not Anglicized until 1940; September 25, 1903 – February 25, 1970), was a Lat ...

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a hor ...

Franz Kline Franz Kline (May 23, 1910 – May 13, 1962) was an American painter. He is associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement of the 1940s and 1950s. Kline, along with other action painters like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Robert Mot ...

, Raoul Hague, Phillip Guston, and others. During his teaching career, his students included Tom Wesselmann,

Eva Hesse Eva Hesse (January 11, 1936 – May 29, 1970) was a German-born American sculptor known for her pioneering work in materials such as latex, fiberglass, and plastics. She is one of the artists who ushered in the postminimal art movement in the 196 ...

, Audrey Flack,

Milton Glaser Milton Glaser (June 26, 1929June 26, 2020) was an American graphic designer. His most notable designs include the I Love New York logo, a 1966 poster for Bob Dylan, and the logos for DC Comics, Stony Brook University and Brooklyn Brewery. In 195 ...

Joan Semmel Joan Semmel (born October 19, 1932) is an American feminist painter, professor, and writer. She is best known for her large scale realistic nude self portraits as seen from her perspective looking down. Education and political involvement Semme ...

, Mel Leipzig, Thomas Nozkowski, and more. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1974. Marsicano was married to the dancer and choreographer

Merle Marsicano Merle Marsicano ( Petersen, 19031983) was an American dancer and choreographer who worked with a wide range of avant-garde composers and artists. Life Marsicano was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She studied ballet with Ethel Phillips and Mic ...

. He later married Susan Marsicano. He died at his home in Woodstock, New York, on January 6, 1991, at the age of 82.

Major shows

*1960-62 Whitney Museum of American Art Annuale, New York *1962 Recent Painting U.S.A.: The Figure, May 23–Aug 26, The Museum of Modern Art, New York *1961-63 "Abstract American Drawings and Watercolors", The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Major collections

* Amarillo Museum of Art *The Art Institute, Chicago *Kresge Art Museum, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan *The Figge Art Museum, Davenport, Iowa *General Services Administration; Washington, DC.

Teaching

* Cooper Union *

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

*Brooklyn Museum School * Pratt Institute *

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

*Silvermine College of Fine Arts *Davenport Municipal Art Gallery, Iowa * State University of New York at Purchase

References

* Marika Herskovic
''New York School Abstract Expressionists Artists Choice by Artists,''
(New York School Press, 2000.) . p. 31; p. 37; * MoMA

Life

Major shows

Major collections

Teaching

References

See also