Alexander Dobkin
(1908–)
(–1975)
Alexander Dobkin
1908–1975
Alexander Dobkin (1908–1975) was an Italian American artist known for his expressive and figurative paintings. Born in Italy and immigrated to New York at an early age, Dobkin studied art at the City College of New York and the Art Students League under the mentorship of George Bridgeman and Jose Clemente Orozco. Dobkin was also a dedicated teacher himself, working primarily as an illustrator and graphic art instructor. Pencil drawings characterized his distinct and expressionist style. A significant focus of Dobkin’s artistic exploration was the world of children. Through his original lithographs and paintings, he captured the essence of this innocent stage of life, often focusing on the relationship between mother and child.
Dobkin’s first solo exhibition was held in 1935 at New York’s A.C.A. Gallery, marking the beginning of his artistic career. Over the years, he has shown his artwork at respected institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Corcoran Gallery, and the Carnegie Institute.
Dobkin’s notable illustrations are the covers of many books, such as Émile Zola’s Nana (1946), Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses (1946), and Richard Henry Dana’s Two Years Before the Mast (1946). Dobkin’s teaching endeavors included positions at the Educational Alliance and the Art Students League in New York. He also authored the book Principles of Figure Drawing, which has seen multiple revised editions.
Dobkin’s artwork has found a home in the permanent collections, including the Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Hirshhorn Gallery, the Corcoran Gallery, the Library of Congress in Washington, the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, the Newark Museum, the Phoenix Fine Arts Museum, as well as the Tel Aviv Museum.