George Segal (artist)
1
George Segal (artist)
George Segal
Born
November 26, 1924New York
Died
June 9, 2000 (aged 75)New Brunswick, New Jersey
Nationality American
Field
Sculpture, Pop art
George Segal (November 26, 1924 – June 9, 2000) was an American painter and sculptor associated with the Pop
Art movement. He was presented with a National Medal of Arts in 1999.
Works
Although Segal started his art career as
a painter, his best known works are
cast lifesize figures and the tableaux
the figures inhabited. In place of
traditional casting techniques, Segal
pioneered the use of plaster bandages
(plaster-impregnated gauze strips
designed for making orthopedic casts)
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
Segal's Street Crossing (bronze, 1992) in permanent installation at Montclair State
University
few years later he began painting them,
usually in bright monochrome colors.
Eventually he started having the final forms cast in bronze, sometimes patinated white to resemble the original
plaster.
Segal's figures had minimal color and detail, which gave them a ghostly, melancholic appearance. In larger works,
one or more figures were 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. An example of this work is the sculpture,
Chance Meeting, which sold in 2001 for US $600,000. It was one of his highest selling works. The work was created
in 1989 and was cast in bronze.[1]
George Segal (artist)
Life
From the 1950s until his death Segal lived on a chicken farm in South Brunswick Township, New Jersey.[2] He only
ran the chicken farm for a few years, but he used the space to hold annual picnics for his friends from the New York
art world. His location in central New Jersey also led to friendships with professors from the Rutgers University art
department. Segal introduced several Rutgers professors to John Cage, and took part in Cage's legendary
experimental composition classes. Allan Kaprow coined the term Happening to describe the art performances that
took place on Segal's farm in the Spring of 1957. Events for Yam Fest also took place there. Segal was married to
Helen Segal from 1946 until his death in 2000.
Films
• George Segal (1979). 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 Kent State
shootings of 1970.
• George Segal: American Still Life (2001). Directed by Amber Edwards. Documentary about the life and work of
the internationally acclaimed sculptor, whose trademark life-size plaster casts are familiar to art lovers and
ordinary citizens all over the world. USA Today called him "a cultural icon." Segal's sculptures are in major
museums and public spaces throughout the country, from the FDR Memorial in Washington to the Holocaust
Memorial in San Francisco. Through scenes of him at work casting a model in his studio, interviews with fellow
artists, critics and historians, Segal's own thoughtful analysis, and rare archival footage of the Pop Art movement
in the '60s, the documentary tells the story of one man's search for a unique way to express himself.
Honors and awards
• (1992) Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award, International Sculpture Center, Hamilton, NJ,
USA.[3]
References
Notes
[1] Auction Result: George Segal's Chance Meeting (http:/ / artsalesindex. artinfo. com/ artsalesindex/ asi/ lots/ 8059513)
[2] Turner, Elisa. "Segal exhibit evokes quiet dignity of humdrum lives" (http:/ / infoweb. newsbank. com/ iw-search/ we/
InfoWeb?p_action=doc& p_docid=0EB4DBDD23876098& p_docnum=4& p_queryname=NaN& p_product=NewsBank&
p_theme=aggregated4& p_nbid=H60S48QAMTE4NTg0NzQ0OS4yODY4NjU6MTo3OnJhLTE4ODg), The Miami Herald, December 20,
1998. Accessed July 31, 2007. "That compassion is also evident in the work ethic and personality of this artist, who's called himself a
Depression baby and who speaks fondly of South Brunswick, N.J., where he's lived since the 1940s, as a working man's town."
[3] International Sculpture Center website. 'Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award' webpage (http:/ / www. sculpture. org/
documents/ awards/ life. shtml). Retrieved February 20, 2010.
2
George Segal (artist)
Bibliography
• Busch, Julia M., A Decade of Sculpture: the New Media in the 1960s (http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/
ow/4ed0b0bd878eaf2a.html) (The Art Alliance Press: Philadelphia; Associated University Presses (http://www.
aupresses.com/): London, 1974) ISBN 0-87982-007-1
External links
• George and Helen Segal Foundation (http://www.segalfoundation.org/)
• The George Segal Papers at Princeton University (http://diglib.princeton.edu/ead/getEad?id=ark:/88435/
tx31qh77q)
• Abraham's Farewell to Ishmael. George Segal. Miami Art Museum. Collections: Recent Acquisitions. (http://
www.miamiartmuseum.org/collection-selected-segalgeorge.asp) Accessed April 10, 2011.
• “The Commuters”, Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York City (http://artnerdnewyork.tumblr.com/post/
1401697943) Accessed April 21, 2011
• “Abraham and Isaac”, Princeton University (http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/4may70/exhibit/memorials/
segal.html) Accessed April 21, 2011
3
Article Sources and Contributors
Article Sources and Contributors
George Segal (artist) Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=425157492 Contributors: Aezram, AgentPeppermint, Alansohn, AlexGWU, BD2412, Badagnani, Beyond My Ken,
Bluemoose, Bus stop, Calliopejen1, Cbustapeck, Closedmouth, Commander Keane, CommonsDelinker, DonaldRichardSands, Edward321, Ekem, EncycloPetey, Epbr123, Eric Winesett, Hailey
C. Shannon, Hmains, J.delanoy, JPLei, JRHorse, Jack O'Lantern, Katalaveno, Mandarax, MarylandArtLover, Mbz1, Mike Selinker, Mindcry, Modernist, Nobrook, Piero79, Pundit, Rbellin,
Regibox, ReinforcedReinforcements, RossPatterson, Scwlong, Sheepdontswim, Sherurcij, SoWhy, Stagehand, Suncloud, TheBlueFlamingo, Tjmayerinsf, Vaddoniz, Vulturell, Wizardman,
Yid613, Zozoulia, 72 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
File:George Segal Street Crossing.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:George_Segal_Street_Crossing.jpg License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors:
User:Beyond My Ken
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
http:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/
4