The elaborate shapes, both delicate and dense, recall the Baroque art that impressed George Sugarman during his first travels in Europe. Later Sugarman noted, "All throughout the '60s and '70s I had no label. I wasn't Pop. I wasn't Mininmal. And 'Maximal' was a word that wasn't used. Yet I was a Maximalist. I wanted to put everything in my work, even the kitchen sink."
George Sugarman was an American artist working in the mediums of drawing, painting, and sculpture. Often described as controversial and forward-thinking, Sugarman's prolific body of work defies a definitive style. He pioneered the concepts of pedestal-free sculpture and is best known for his large-scale, vividly painted metal sculptures. His innovative approach to art-making lent his work a fresh, experimental approach and caused him to continually expand his creative focus. During his lifetime, he was dedicated to the well-being of young emerging artists, particularly those who embraced innovation and risk-taking in their work. In his will, Sugarman provided for the establishment of The George Sugarman Foundation Inc.
A 1934 graduate of the City College of New York. Sugarman served in the United States Navy from 1941 to 1945, assigned to the Pacific theater. He resumed his education in Paris, studying with Cubist sculptor Ossip Zadkine. He returned to New York City in 1955 at the age of 39 to begin his career as an artist. In 1965, Sugarman participated in the critically acclaimed Concrete Expressionism show curated by critic Irving Sandler at New York University, which also featured the work of sculptors Ronald Bladen and David Weirib and painters Al Heldand Knox Martin.
George Sugarman passed away in 1999.