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Esphyr Slobodkina

Honoring the Life and Art of Esphyr Slobodkina

Esphyr Slobodkina was a pioneer of American abstract art. Her participation in the avant-garde activities and exhibitions of the 1930s & 40s helped achieve recognition for abstract art in the United States.

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1930s – Towards the Abstract

In 1931, Esphyr Slobodkina met Ilya Bolotowsky, a fellow student at the National Academy of Design. This relationship marked a turning point in her personal and professional career.

Bolotowksy, who agreed with Slobodkina’s negative assessment of the Academy, traveled to Europe to study the work of the old masters and the European modernists. Upon returning to the United States, Bolotowsky shared his new-found knowledge with Slobodkina, who eagerly absorbed these ideas. She wrote, “Here, at last, was a concrete chance to really learn something about th technique, the meaning, the history of painting.” Bolotwosky became her most important mentor, and for a brief time, her husband (the two married in 1933 but separated in 1936).

Slobodkina’s artistic stye in this decade evolves from explorations in post-Impressionism and Cubism to pure abstraction. In 1936, Slobodkina and Bolotowsky were among the founders of the influential American Abstract Artists – a group of New York City-based artists dedicated to the exhibition and promotion of abstract art.

Next: 1940s – Slobodkina’s Work Gains Attention

History / Chronology

  • 1920s – The Beginning
  • 1930s – Towards the Abstract
  • 1940s – Slobodkina’s Work Gains Attention
  • 1950s – A Classic Among Abstractionist Painters
  • 1960s – A Continuing Tradition of Geometric Abstract Art
  • 1970s – Drastic Changes
  • 1980s – Rediscovered as a Pioneer of American Abstract Art
  • 1990s – Still Going Strong
  • 2000s – Final Years
  • Chronology

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