Syd Solomon

Syd Solomon (July 12, 1917 – January 28, 2004) was an American abstract artist. He spent most of his time in his homes in both East Hampton, NY and Sarasota, Florida, both of which influenced many of his paintings. His works have been presented at The Guggenheim, The Whitney, Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Wadsworth Athenaeum and several others.

Early life Solomon was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, to a Jewish family. He started painting in high school. After high school, he studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1935 to 1938. In 1940, he enlisted in the Engineer Aviation Regiment, First Camouflage Battalion of the military. During his time in London, he mostly performed aerial reconnaissance, which inspired his ideas on abstract art. He helped bring many well-established artists down to Florida after he started his Institute of Fine Art at New College.

Style After the 1950s, Solomon's style became heavily influenced by nature. His works illustrate his fascination with the climatic and overall environmental conditions of land, sea, and sky.

Career/achievements Throughout his life Solomon taught at many different institutions, including the Pittsburgh Art Institute, the Ringling Museum of Art, the Famous Artists School, New College in Sarasota, and the Sarasota School of Art. He was also a visiting instructor at University of Illinois in Urbana, Robertson Center for the Arts, and the Tampa Bay Art Center.

He also received many awards in his lifetime including the State Department U.S. Cultural Exchange program to Israel and the Ford Foundation Special Purchase Grant for the Guggenheim Museum. Also he received the Painting of the year from the Whitney as well as the 13th New England Annual.

Exhibitions/collections

Museums Galleries Other Clearwater Museum of Art Museum of Fine Arts Saint Petersburg, Florida Lowe Art Gallery Brevard College Fifty Ninth Annual Exhibition at the National Collection of Fine Arts1956 Associated American Artists Galleries Paintings of the Circus at Sarasota Art Association Whitney Museum of American Art Saidenberg Gallery Annual Exhibition at the American Water Color Society 1955 Ringling Museum of Art Trend House Gallery Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Collections Adelphi University Baltimore Museum of Art Chrysler Art Museum Guggenheim Museum High Museum of Art New Orleans Museum of Art Wadsworth Museum Whitney Museum of American Art Witte Memorial Museum