Irving Sandler (1925–2018)
Author of The Triumph of American Painting: A History of Abstract Expressionism
About the Author
Irving Sandler was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 22, 1925. He enlisted in the Marine Corps at the age of 17 and was sent to Franklin and Marshall College for an officer training program. He spent the rest of World War II with a stateside radar unit. After leaving the Marines in 1946 with the show more rank of second lieutenant, he received a bachelor's degree from Temple University in 1948 and a master's degree in American studies from the University of Pennsylvania in 1950. He became the manager of the Tanager Gallery, an important artists' cooperative, in 1956. He also became the programming coordinator for the Artists' Club, a weekly symposium attended by most of the major artists of the period. He started writing reviews for ArtNews in 1956 and was the magazine's senior critic until 1962. He also wrote for Art International and was a critic at The New York Post from 1960 to 1964. He taught at New York University and later at Purchase College, from which he retired in 1997. He wrote numerous books including The Triumph of American Painting: A History of Abstract Expressionism, The New York School: The Painters and Sculptors of the Fifties, American Art of the 1960s, Art of the Postmodern Era: From the Late 1960s to the Early 1990s, and Abstract Expressionism and the American Experience: A Reevaluation. He wrote two memoirs entitled A Sweeper-Up After Artists and Swept Up by Art: An Art Critic in the Post-Avant-Garde Era, a selection of his critical essays entitled From Avant-Garde to Pluralism: An On-the-Spot History, and a novel entitled Goodbye to Tenth Street. He received a lifetime achievement award by the International Association of Art Critics in 2008. He died from cancer on June 2, 2018 at the age of 92. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Irving Sandler
Concepts in construction: 1910-1980 7 copies
Ronald Bladen: Sculpture of the 1960s & 1970s (Monumental & Garden Scale Outdoor Sculpture, Working Models & Related Drawings) (2008) 2 copies
Concrete expressionism 1 copy
The New York School: The Painters and Sculptors of the Fifties by Irving Sandler (1979-10-23) 1 copy
Associated Works
American Art in the 20th Century: Painting and Sculpture 1913-1993 (Art & Design) (1993) — Contributor — 57 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Sandler, Irving
- Birthdate
- 1925-07-22
- Date of death
- 2018-06-02
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Pennsylvania (MA|1950 - American Studies)
Temple University (BA|1948) - Occupations
- art historian
art critic
professor - Organizations
- State University of New York, Purchase
United States Marine Corps (WWII) - Relationships
- Sandler, Lucy Freeman (spouse)
- Short biography
- Professor of Art History at SUNY College at Purchase.
- Cause of death
- cancer
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
- Place of death
- Manhattan, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Reviews
Imagine Mickey Spillane writing a roman a clef about the Abstract Expressionist scene. Hamfisted, misogynistic, not a little ridiculous, but a fascinating document of the era from someone who really lived it.
When I buy art books the written content is secondary to the photographs of the artwork that are in the book. For me, I have to have clear pictures that accurately capture details and colors of the work. And this book definitely meets that standard for me. The images are sharp and crystal clear, accurately capturing David's sculptures from the tiniest welds to the full piece in all of its beauty. The essays are also fantastic, especially since they have one from David's daughter. I highly show more recommend this book if you're an art fan. It does justice to David Smith's works and is a fantastic addition to any collection. show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 54
- Also by
- 1
- Members
- 805
- Popularity
- #31,684
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 52
- Languages
- 3
- Favorited
- 1














