Harold Shapinsky
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Harold Shapinsky (May 21, 1925–January 31, 2004) was an American abstract expressionist painter, born in Brooklyn, New York.
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[edit] Family
His father was David Shapinsky, a "cutter" in the garment trades. His mother Alice was very young when they met in the subway, according to some family stories.
Both David and Alice were born in eastern Europe and came to the United States with their parents at the turn of the century. They had four sons; Aaron, Murray, Harold, and Buck. Young Harold was a gifted artist. Unfortunately, the family endured a bitter divorce, and afterwards his mother married Alex Matos, originally from Puerto Rico. Neither his mother nor his stepfather supported the young Harold's aspirations.
[edit] Early life
He struggled very much on his own, occasionally assisted by his brothers. He had several breakdowns along the way. In one instance, he was not eating properly and had no money, became sick and was thrown out of his apartment. His paintings were thrown into the street. Some were rescued by his brother Aaron. Some of his early work was destroyed by his parents or painted over by his step-father.
While Harold Shapinsky ultimately found some encouragement from a circle of artists that would be known as the "New York School" of abstract expressionism, and became an associate of Jackson Pollock.
[edit] Marriage
Shapinsky met and married modern dancer Kathryn Peters, the daughter of Frazier Forman and Kathryn Harrower Peters. The two were both considered black sheep by their families. They had one child, David Frazier Shapinsky, born 1961.
[edit] Fame
In 1985, via a series of coincidences, an Indian economics professor, Akumal Ramachander, met Harold's son in Chicago, who uncharacteristically showed him slides of Harold's work, Ramachander determined to publicise the artist. He contacted Lawrence Weschler, a writer at The New Yorker, and helped organise Shapinsky's first one-man show, at London's Mayor Gallery[1].
As a result he became an 'revived artist' as an abstract impressionist. He spent the next 15 years in relative comfort from some resulting sales.
In 2001, when his wife could no longer care for him, as he was suffering from Alzheimer's dementia along with blindness he was moved to Collingswood Nursing Home near Rockville, Maryland. His wife then moved to Friendship Terrace, a retirement community in Washington, D.C. By this time, the couple had no resources to speak of, despite his past fame, and their care cost was largely met by their son.
Shapinsky died at the age of 78 on January 31st 2004. His wife died the following year on January 22nd. Both are buried together at the Garden of Remembrance Cemetery in Maryland.
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
- The Tate Gallery (UK)
- Shapinsky.net
- [2] Franklin Riehlman Gallery
- Shapinsky Photos
