About Simon Dinnerstein
Born 1943. Simon Dinnerstein is an American painter and graphic artist.
Simon Dinnerstein (born February 16, 1943) is an American artist, best known for the painted work, The Fulbright Triptych.
Early life and education Dinnerstein was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, in 1943 to pharmacist Louis and homemaker Sarah Dinnerstein. The second of two sons, he has an older brother, Harvey Dinnerstein, who also became an artist.
Dinnerstein holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the City College of New York. He studied painting and drawing at the Brooklyn Museum Art School with Louis Grebenak, David Levine, and Richard Mayhew.
Career He was a member of the faculty at the New School for Social Research, Parsons School of Design, and New York City Technical College. He lectures widely and has lectured at Pennsylvania State University.
The Fulbright Triptych Dinnerstein's most notable painting, The Fulbright Triptych, was started in Germany in 1971 it combines stark realism Three figures, representing the Dinnerstein family, occupy the outer panels. The central panel consists of the artist's desk, engraving tools, a copper disk of the commissioned Fulbright engraving project, and an outward view in perspective of Hessisch Lichtenau (near to Kassel). Plants, photographs, old master's paintings, children's grade school writing, and an exit visa from Russia, appear tacked to the wall of the studio. The Triptych is noted for its symmetry, meticulous detail, with folk, expressionistic, and surrealistic influences, possessing a "narrative" He uses a variety of media, pencils, charcoal, and oil paints. Dinnerstein renders still-lifes, but most of his work involves portraiture or human figures. He often "paints the figure in unexpected juxtaposition with landscape or interior elements", Light plays an important role in Dinnerstein's work achieving "an inwardness ... in the play of light that radiates from the object and renders it mysterious" or makes "Brooklyn sunlight on an ordinary floor seem supernatural." The use of light contributes to Dinnerstein's paintings being described as "magical realism". In early Dinnerstein works, strong left-right symmetry prevails, although later works are noted for their asymmetry. ), Mexican art (Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera ), as well as literature (D. H. Lawrence, August Strindberg She runs the popular blog, Investigating Choice Time: Inquiry, Exploration and Play. They have a daughter, Simone Dinnerstein, a concert pianist. Both wife and daughter (as an infant) figure prominently in The Fulbright Triptych as well as other works.
Dinnerstein resides in Brooklyn, where, in addition to practicing his art, he teaches classes on art history and appreciation. Triptych: An Evening of Painting and Music (Simon Dinnerstein, The Fulbright Triptych and Robert Sirota, "Triptych", performed by the Chiara String Quartet) Simon Dinnerstein Exhibit at the Tenri Gallery: A Walk Through with Francis Cunningham, 2011 Simon Dinnerstein and The Fulbright Triptych, audiocast interview with James McElhinney, Huffington Post, April 1, 2013 βSimone Dinnerstein and Simon Dinnerstein: A Conversation on the Mysteries of Art and Family, 2018
List of awards
Exhibitions
Articles and reviews Michael Andre, Simon Dinnerstein (Staempfli), Art News, March, 1975 John Gruen, "On Art: Freilicher, Fish, Dinnerstein, Peterson, Baber", SoHo Weekly News, February 6, 1975 George Staempfli, catalog essay, one-man exhibit, Staempfli Gallery, January 14 β February 8, 1975 Bennett Schiff, On a Roman Hill Scholars Dwell in an Estate Of Mind, Smithsonian, March, 1978 Doug Turetsky, Simon Dinnerstein: Artist in the Round, Brooklyn Affairs, April, 1985 Simon Dinnerstein, Looking At One's Own Artwork, American Artist, April, 1986 Theodore Wolff, The Kind Word for Such Art is 'Conservative'. The Christian Science Monitor, April 25, 1988 Albert Boime, Introduction: Simon Dinnerstein's Family Romance, The Art of Simon Dinnerstein, The University of Arkansas Press, 1990 Thomas M. Messer, Foreword, The Art of Simon Dinnerstein, The University of Arkansas Press, 1990, Richard Mertens, Essential Realities: Simon Dinnerstein Draws the Essence of Art from the Commonplace, The Concord Monitor, October 25, 1991 Rudolph Arnheim, Pictures of the Lasting World, Simon Dinnerstein: Paintings and Drawings, Hudson Hills Press, (October 12, 1999) Deborah McLeod, From Visceral Portraits to Romanticized Nymphs, Bodies of Work, Richmond Times, September 1, 2000 Edward Sullivan, The Urban View in the Art of Simon Dinnerstein, Simon Dinnerstein: Paintings and Drawings, Hudson Hills Press, 2000 Roy Proctor, Exploring the Edge: No Slave to fashion, artist draws us into other states of mind, Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 20, 2000 Joe Maniscalco, An Artist at Work: Park Slope Painter Lets You in on the Creative Process, Park Slope Courier, January 31, 2000 Ilana Abramovitch, From Brownsville to Park Slope: An Interview with Simon Dinnerstein, Jews of Brooklyn, Brandeis University Press; 1st edition (November 1, 2001) Gabriela Lena Frank, Ghosts in the Dream Machine for Piano Quintet, (Composer's Statement), March 14, 2005 Composer's Statement Cynthia Maris Dantzic 100 New York Painters Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., (November 2006) , page 85 Elana Hagler, Pursuing Humanity: An Interview with Simon Dinnerstein, April 21, 2013 Pursuing Humanity:An Interview with Simon Dinnerstein Featuring: Simon Dinnerstein, Colored Pencil magazine, December 2014
Books The Art of Simon Dinnerstein, The University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, London, 1990. Essays by Albert Boime, Thomas M. Messer, George Tooker. Simon Dinnerstein: Paintings and Drawings, Hudson Hills Press, New York, 1999. Essays by Rudolf Arnheim, Guy Davenport, Robert L. McGrath, John Russell, Edward J. Sullivan, Miller Willams. The Suspension of Time: Reflections on Simon Dinnerstein and 'The Fulbright Triptych, Daniel Slager (Editor), Publisher: Milkweed Editions; First Edition (June 14, 2011). Forty-five essays on The Fulbright Triptych.
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Important facts
People in Simon Dinnerstein's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Simon Dinnerstein?
American artist (born 1943)
When was Simon Dinnerstein born?
Simon Dinnerstein was born on 16 February 1943 in New York City.
What is Simon Dinnerstein's occupation?
Simon Dinnerstein is a painter and graphic artist.
What nationality is Simon Dinnerstein?
Simon Dinnerstein is American.
Sources & further reading
Β· Wikipedia: Simon Dinnerstein
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Simon Dinnerstein. https://biography.guide/simon-dinnerstein/
MLA: "Simon Dinnerstein." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/simon-dinnerstein/.
Chicago: "Simon Dinnerstein." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/simon-dinnerstein/.
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