Baskin, Leonard

born Aug. 15, 1922, New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.

died June 3, 2000, Northampton, Mass.

U.S. sculptor and graphic artist.

After studying in Europe and the U.S., in 1939 he had his first one-man exhibition in New York City, and he later taught for many years at Smith College. He is known for his bleak portrayals of the human figure. His sculptures in bronze, limestone, and wood are dominated by themes of death, vulnerability, and spiritual decay. In his woodcuts he developed a distinctive linear style, depicting figures resembling those in anatomical charts. Baskin was particularly noted for his memorials, including the Holocaust Memorial (dedicated 1994) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

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▪ 2001

      American sculptor and graphic artist (b. Aug. 15, 1922, New Brunswick, N.J.—d. June 3, 2000, Northampton, Mass.), was a master sculptor, wood-carver, and etcher who achieved prominence with his bleak but impressive portrayals of the human figure. After studying in the U.S. and Europe, Baskin held his first one-man show in New York City in 1939. He taught at Smith College, Northampton, Mass., from 1953 to 1974 and at Hampshire College, Amherst, Mass., from 1984 to 1994. Baskin designed monumental figures in bronze, limestone, wood, and relief. He often portrayed artists (Blake, 1955; Barlach Dead, 1959), scenes of death (Hanged Man, 1956), and biblical subjects (Prodigal Son, 1976; Ruth and Naomi, 1978). Baskin imbued his representations of the human figure with qualities of spiritual death, decay, and vulnerability, which he felt characterized the condition of humankind in the 20th century. In his woodcuts he developed a distinctively wiry and nervous linearity; Man of Peace (1952) and Everyman were among his best-known woodcuts. Baskin used many of his woodcuts and etchings to illustrate books printed by Gehenna Press, which he owned. Several of his sculptures were also used in public memorials, including the Holocaust Memorial, Ann Arbor, Mich., dedicated in 1994, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1997. Among his numerous honours, Baskin was presented the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters in 1969.

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▪ American sculptor

born Aug. 15, 1922, New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.

died June 3, 2000, Northampton, Mass.

      American sculptor, illustrator, and printmaker noted for his bleak but impressive portrayals of the human figure.

      Baskin, who decided at age 14 to become a sculptor, studied at New York University's School of Architecture and Allied Arts and at Yale University, where he also developed an interest in printing. In 1942 he founded Gehenna Press, which published finely illustrated books, most notably editions by poets Ted Hughes (Hughes, Ted) and Anthony Hecht that feature Baskin's art. During World War II, Baskin served in the U.S. Navy and after a stint with the Merchant Marine returned to New York, where he attended the New School for Social Research (B.A., 1949). Baskin also studied in Paris and Florence and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1953. He later taught at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts (1953–74), and at Hampshire College in Amherst (1984–94).

      Inspired by ancient Egyptian and Greek art, Baskin designed monumental figures and reliefs in bronze, limestone, and wood. Among his subjects are poets (Blake, 1955; Barlach Dead, 1959), universal symbols (Hanged Man, 1956; Man with Owl, 1960), and biblical subjects (Prodigal Son, 1976; Ruth and Naomi, 1978). Baskin imbued his sculptures of the human figure with those qualities of spiritual death, decay, and vulnerability which to him were the condition of 20th-century man. His sculptures nevertheless possess a kind of forbidding authority. Baskin was particularly noted for his memorials, including the Holocaust Memorial (dedicated 1994) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which features a seven-foot figure, seated and in anguish with a hand raised above his head. In his woodcuts Baskin developed a distinctively wiry and nervous linearity. Man of Peace and Everyman are among his best-known woodcuts.

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