The Getty ULAN statesof George Segal: “American sculptor best known for his life-size sculptures of human figures set in environments. Although he began as a figurative painter in the late 1950’s along with artists such as Allan Kaprow and George Brecht, he turned to sculpture in order to explore the human figure as it relates to actual space and its surroundings. Segal’s early work is often treated within the framework of Pop Art, because of the reference to the individual’s position within mass culture and the examination of the relationship between fine and popular art. Later his work reflected social concerns. These works consist of plaster molds cast from living models in order to capture life like gestures, placed in environmental tableaux, which lock them in time. Although most of his figures remain white, in his later work he began painting them in vivid colors.”
Born in 1926, George Segal grew up in the Bronx, NY. He moved to New Jersey in 1940 and lived in the same town until he passed away in 2000. Segal is known internationally for his figurative works in plaster, which he created using a unique technique he had developed. The figures are often placed within environments made with real objects, creating a personal tableau.
Segal’s works have been exhibited in numerous prestigious museums and galleries throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Japan, and South America. A retrospective exhibition was held in 1997-98 and traveled to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.; the Jewish Museum in New York; and the Miami Art Museum, FL. Segal’s sculptures are featured in major public collections.