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IRVING KRIESBERG- While many Abstract Expressionists
shunned figural elements in their work, KRIESBERG used them
lavishly. As a result, he was termed a “Figural Expressionist,”
combining intense abstract colors with human and animal elements.
Margalit Fox of the New York Times (November 11, 2209 Obituary)
described KRIESBERG’s work as a space where “small creatures
tower and loom, dancers weave through unorthodox angles, and
customarily static objects appear fluid and sinuous. All these things
give his work a sense of wit and mystery.”
Originally from Chicago, KRIESBERG arrived in New York in the
1950’s. The artist came to wide attention with his inclusion in the
prestigious Museum of Modern Art’s exhibit “Fifteen American Artists”
in 1952, where he was showcased alongside with Jackson Pollock,
Mark Rothko, and Clifford Still. He was given his first solo show in
1955 at the Curt Valentin Gallery in New York. This exhibition
features KRIESBERG’s works on paper, where scrawled, brightly-
colored pastel lines and cartoonish figures play the prominent role.
KRIESBERG’s work has been exhibited nationally in galleries and
museums throughout his lifetime. His work is featured in the
collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum
of American Art, the Jewish Museum, the St. Louis Art Museum,
the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C, as well as many
others He is a recipient of the Fullbright and Guggenheim
Fellowships, and taught variously at Columbia, Yale, and the Pratt
Institute. In 2001, at the age of 82, he received the Lee Krasner
Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Pollock-Krasner
Foundation, among many other awards. The artist recently passed
away at the age of 90 on November 11, 2009.
