Harold Shapinsky American, 1925-2004

American Abstract-Expressionist Harold Shapinsky, who was born in Brooklyn, resolved to become a painter at 15 and dropped out of school. In 1948, he was invited to join the Subjects of the Artist, an informal studio school associated with colleagues Robert Motherwell, William Baziotes, Mark Rothko and others.  Shapinsky's drawings and paintings are characterized by an energy and intensity that transcend their intimate scale.  Shapinsky remained largely unappreciated and unknown until late in his life and came into public consciousness in the mid-1980s because of the publicity generated by Akumal Ramachander, a teacher and art lover. 

Today Shapinsky's work continues to garner attention and is in the permanent collection of many museums including The Tate in London and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.