the artist in his studio

Throughout his career, Liberman maintained a whirlwind social life. Beginning in 1948, he spent summers photographing European artists, including Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Marcel Duchamp, Constantin Brancusi, and Pablo Picasso. In 1959, the Museum of Modern Art in New York exhibited these photographs. Later, they were gathered in Liberman's first book, The Artist in his Studio. Among other books were Marlene (1992), dedicated to Marlene Dietrich, and Then (1995)—a retrospective album of acquaintances from Paris long ago to Miami in the 1990s.

 

Created with Sketch.

color for me has always been a problem because i find color in a deep sense weakens a work. —alexander liberman

 

55 ton futuristic sculpture entitled The Way prior to dedication ceremonies on this site

55 ton futuristic sculpture entitled The Way prior to dedication ceremonies on this site. Photo via Getty Images.

 

 

sculptor & painter

 

At the beginning of the 50s, struggling to forge an identity as an artist, Liberman began painting in an abstract post-Impressionistic manner and sculpting. He divided his time between his office and studio, explaining that he thought of art as a dangerous full-time profession. Liberman’s highly-recognizable sculptures are assembled from segments of steel I-beams, pipes, drums, and other industrial materials often painted in uniform bright colors. His sculptures and paintings are currently in many collections including the Metropolitan Museum, Corcoran, Guggenheim Museum, and the Tate Gallery in London.

 

Untitled painting by Alexander Liberman, 1961. Oil on canvas. © Alexander Liberman Estate. Courtesy of Vallarino Fine Art.

 

 

Untitled painting by Alexander Liberman
The Little Mysteries II painting by Alexander Liberman

Black-Yellow painting by Alexander Liberman, 1962. Oil on canvas. © Alexander Liberman Estate. Courtesy of Vallarino Fine Art.

 

 

Black-Yellow painting by Alexander Liberman. Three black dots on a white and yellow background

The Little Mysteries II painting by Alexander Liberman, 1963. Acrylic on canvas. Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1976.

 

 

Green Diagonal painting by Alexander Liberman, 1964. Acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the artist.

 

 

Green Diagonal painting by Alexander Liberman. Splashes of different color
Maquette for On High sculpture by Alexander Liberman. Multiple red cones put together

Maquette for On High sculpture by Alexander Liberman, 1978. Welded and painted steel on steel base. Smithsonian American Art Museum, transfer from the General Services Administration.

 

 

Maquette for On High sculpture by Alexander Liberman. Multiple red cones put together
Maquette for On High sculpture by Alexander Liberman. Multiple red cones put together
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