Ibram Lassaw
(1913–)
(–2003)
Ibram Lassaw
1913–2003
Ibram Lassaw (1913–2003) was a Russian American sculptor born in Egypt known for his non-objective constructions in metals. His early abstract sculptures explored biomorphic shapes and open forms using clay which were then cast in plaster. Throughout his career, the interpenetration of form in space remained one of his abiding concerns. Lassaw was a founding member of the American Abstract Artists and exhibited frequently with the group. He was also a founding member of The Club. His first solo exhibition was in 1951 after Samuel Kootz had seen his work at the Whitney.
As a child, Lassaw moved to New York City from Alexandria and later pursued art after leaving City College. He became a teacher and sculptor for the Federal Arts Project. Lassaw’s first abstract sculpture was created in 1933. To promote abstract art through cooperative exhibitions, he founded the American Abstract Artists Group (AAA). And in 1949, was a leading figure in The Club, the informal yet influential discussion forum of NY School artists that included Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline.
In 1953, Lassaw began attending lectures by Buddhist scholar Daisetz Suzuki. His welded grids evoke natural and celestial systems’ order, as well as Taoism’s emphasis on moving through spaces between things rather than forcing a way through life. Lassaw’s interest in Zen Buddhism and Taoism fueled his belief in the intuitiveness of abstraction.
Lassaw’s abstract sculptures were showcased in major exhibitions, including Documenta II and the Whitney Museum’s Nature in Abstraction, 1959. He continued to evolve his process, using plaster over wire armatures in his earliest works.