Joe Stefanelli

Joe Stefanelli (March 20, 1921 – September 27, 2017), also known as Joseph J. Stefanelli, belonged to the New York School Abstract Expressionist artists whose influence and artistic innovation by the 1950s had been recognized around the world. New York School Abstract Expressionism, represented by Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and others became a leading art movement of the era that followed World War II. He died in September 2017 at the age of 96.

Biography Stefanelli grew up in a large working-class Italian-American family in South Philadelphia. He was born March 20, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Studied painting 1938–1940: Philadelphia Museum School, 1940–1941: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts 1948–1949: Hofmann School of Fine Art 1949–1950: New School for Social Research 1950–1951: Art Students League of New York

Military service in World War II Stefanelli entered the Army during World War II. Eventually he was working as an illustrator, from 1942 to 1946 provided field drawings that were published in "’Artists for Yank Magazine’’’. He traveled all over the South Pacific as a combat artist. Today these works are housed in the permanent collection of the World War II Archives Building, Washington, D.C.

Participation in the downtown art scene Stefanelli had his studio on the Lower East Side, on 22nd Street. Stefanelli soon joined the "Downtown Group" which represented a group of artists who found studios in lower Manhattan. Franz Kline introduced Stefanelli to 'The Artists’ Club’. located at 39 East 8th Street. Stefanelli was chosen by his fellow artists to show in the Ninth Street Show held on May 21 – June 10, 1951. The show was located at 60 East 9th Street on the first floor and the basement of a building which was about to be demolished: "The artists celebrated not only the appearance of the dealers, collectors and museum people on the 9th Street, and the consequent exposure of their work but they celebrated the creation and the strength of a living community of significant dimensions."

Stefanelli participated in 1951 and from 1954 to 1957 in the invitational New York Painting and Sculpture Annuals including the Ninth Street Show. These Annuals were important because the participants were chosen by the artists themselves.

Teaching positions By the 1960s Stefanelli, like many of his contemporaries, taught art in major universities. 1960, 1963: University of California, Berkeley, California 1963–1966: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 1966: New School for Social Research, New York City 1966–1974: Columbia University, New York City 1974–1977: Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York 1979–1980: New York University, New York City

Awards Stefanelli has received number of awards: 1971: New York State Council of Art, New York 2000: Pollock-Krasner Foundation, New York City for his life work 2005: Benjamin Altman Prize, National Academy for painting

Works in museums and public collections National Academy of Design Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings, Montana