George Constant

American, 1892 - 1978

(not assigned)New York, New York, USA

BiographyA continuous evolution of man's relation to nature and the universe can be traced in the work of George Constant (1892-1972). This approach to his art repeatedly confronted him with new challenges -- challenges he met with new aesthetic inventions.. Throughout his evolving study of man, nature and the universe, he used each of his themes and techniques in all the media in which he worked and this same development can be traced in his oils as well as his drypoints and watercolors. He had a gift for creating fresh, sophisticated and witty watercolors such as those in the current exhibition.
Born in a mountain village in Greece in 1892, Constant's parents died when he was four and he was raised by two uncles, one of whom was the head of the Monastery of Eleusa (where he spent his summers). Fascinated by the icons which surrounded him he began to study them and as he grew into manhood he expanded his studies of Archaic and Classical Greek Art. He began to draw and by the time he was 18 had some sense of himself as an artist. Like many artists with an instinct for exile and in need for a brash and lusty new society, he emigrated to America.
Within a few years of his arrival in New York, he became part of the New Art Circle of J.B. Neumann (who reproduced the artist's work in his magazine and was also responsible for having it exhibited in Germany). During the Depression, Constant executed many works in all media for the Federal Art Project and in 1940 founded the Society of Modern Painters and Sculptors, serving as the group's President. He received the Purchase Prize from the Library of Congress in 1947 and was awarded the highest honor for achievement that the Greek government can bestow, the Phoenix Cross. Today his work can be found in numerous public institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. A book devoted to his work, "George Constant," was published in 1961. (Source: , Accessed June 17, 2004)

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