Jack
Tworkov
Jack Tworkov, a founding member of the New York School, played a key role in shaping Abstract Expressionism and American Modern Art. If you're looking for Jack Tworkov original prints and editions for sale or would like to sell, request a complimentary valuation and browse our network's most in-demand works.
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Biography
Born in Biała Podlaska, Poland, in 1900, Jack Tworkov immigrated to the United States with his family in 1913, settling in New York City's Lower East Side.
Tworkov's introduction to art began with his studies at Columbia University and the National Academy of Design. However, it was at the Art Students League that he became committed to painting. During this period, he started shaping his distinctive artistic style, influenced by the dynamic New York art scene of the 1920s and 1930s.
The artist's early works reflected an interest in figurative painting, but as he progressed, Tworkov's work became more abstract. This evolution would ultimately lead him to become one of the pioneering figures of Abstract Expressionism.
Tworkov's artistic career gained momentum when he was employed in the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project easel division from 1934 to 1941. It was during this period that Tworkov met Willem de Kooning, whose gestural works inspired him.
The 1940s and 1950s marked a significant shift in Tworkov's artistic approach. His work became increasingly abstracted, developing a distinctive style characterised by energetic brushstrokes and vibrant colours. This period saw Tworkov emerge as a key figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement, alongside contemporaries such as Jackson Pollock, Franz Kline, and Mark Rothko.
In 1951, Tworkov participated in the artist-led 9th Street Art Exhibition, a seminal event that helped establish Abstract Expressionism as a major movement in the art world. His work during this period, exemplified by paintings such as House Of Sun (1952), showcased ability to convey an emotional sense of immediacy through gestural abstraction.
In the 1960 and 1970s, Tworkov began to move away from the spontaneous, gestural style towards more structured, geometric compositions. This shift, evident in his 1979 aquatint titled L-SF-ES-#3 (1979), reflected Tworkov's ongoing exploration of form, spacial dynamics, and colour.
Throughout his career, Tworkov was also an educator, serving as the chair of the Art Department at Yale University from 1963 to 1969.
Tworkov died on September 4, 1982, in Provincetown, Massachusetts.