William Baziotes
(1912-1963)

William Baziotes studied at the National Academy of Design, NYC with Leon Kroll. He became a first generation Abstract Expressionism artist working with organic shapes placed in Surrealistic backgrounds. By 1944 Baziotes was successful enough to hold a solo exhibition at Peggy Guggenheim’s “Art of This Century” gallery. Baziotes was good friends with Roberto Matta who led him to experimenting with automatism in the early ‘40s. In 1942 he came into a more mature style of work when spending the summer on the Hudson River. While there, Baziotes painted a large mural on the side of his cottage, making shapes from the cracks and stains on the surface.

In the mid 40’s his canvases were concerned with biomorphic forms set in fields of shifting areas of color created with translucent veils of paint. Baziotes founded the Subjects of the Artists School in 1948 that later became “The Club”, a meeting place for New York Abstractionists. He also taught at the Brooklyn Museum of Art School and at New York University from 1949-52.