Seymour Lipton - Abstract Expressionist Sculpture

Seymour Lipton ( 1903 –1986) was an American abstract expressionist sculptor. He was a member of the New York School who gained widespread recognition in the 1950s. He initially trained as a dentist but focused on sculpture from 1932. His early choices of medium changed from wood to lead and then to bronze, and he is best known for his work in metal. He made several technical innovations, including brazing nickel-silver rods onto sheets of Monel to create rust resistant forms

Seymour Lipton

Seymour Lipton, (born Nov. 6, 1903, New York City—died Dec. 5, 1986, Glen Cove, N.Y., U.S.) American sculptor known for his forceful metal sculptures of abstract organic forms.Lipton attended City College of New York, studied dentistry at Columbia University (1923–27), and had no formal art training. He embarked on his artistic career in 1932 as a figurative sculptor, primarily in wood; when he shifted to abstract work after 1945, his major material became sheet metal.
The play between external and internal forms dominates Lipton’s later work. His characteristically massive, textured pieces twist, curve, and seem frozen on the verge of opening. They are frequently suggestive of and titled after animals and plants.
His commissioned works include sculptures at Philharmonic Hall at Lincoln Center, New York City (1964), and Dulles International Airport, Washington, D.C. (1964).(Encyclopædia Britannica)

Seymour Lipton adopted the surrealist technique of free association, making numerous rough drawings in crayon to explore different combinations of shapes without a coherent plan. These shapes were then cut from sheet steel or Monel, a type of white bronze, and welded into place. The rough metal, sharp corners, and visible welds give the piece a raw, unfinished appearance.(americanart.si.edu)