George Segal

born November 24, 19241992 Honorary Ph.D. State University of New York at Purchase1970 Honorary Ph D. Rutgers University, New Jersey1963 M.F.A. Rutgers University, New Jersey1949 B.A. New York UniversityAmerican sculptor, known for his life-size white plaster casts of human figures. Born in New York City, Segal worked first, in the 1950s, as a painter, turning to sculpture after 1960. His plaster casts, taken directly from living people, are placed in mundane or lonely sculptural settings such as elevators, ticket booths, diners, or buses furnished with objects and props purchased from junkyards. His white figures are left rough and unfinished, their features vague and indistinct, to create a mood of desolation or mystery. His fondness for including in his scenes trite, everyday objects such as bathroom fixtures and a shaver in Woman Shaving Her Leg (1963, Mayer Collection, Winnetka, Illinois) has led some critics to group him with the pop art school, but his work, in its communication of melancholy human feelings, goes beyond the impersonality of pop art.HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE"Segal, George," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.