Jack Tworkov (American, 1900–1982)

Jack Tworkov (American, born August 15, 1900–died September 4, 1982) was a Polish-born Abstract Expressionist painter, based in New York, NY, and Provincetown, MA. Born in Biala, Tworkov moved to the United States as a teenager with his mother and sister, painter Janice Biala (American, 1903–2000). Tworkov attended Columbia University to become a writer, but—inspired by French painters Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) and Henri Matisse (1869–1954)—switched his focus to art, and studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York. During the Depression, Tworkov worked for the WPA Federal Art Project, and became friends with artists such as Willem de Kooning (American/Dutch, 1904–1997), Arshile Gorky (American, 1904–1948), and Mark Rothko (American, 1903–1970); their work was the foundation of the New York School of painting. Tworkov’s style evolved during the course of his career from brightly colored and Expressionist works, to more geometric, cool pieces. From the 1950s until his death, he was also a devoted teacher, serving as a visiting artist at Black Mountain College, Pratt Institute, Columbia University, and numerous other institutions, and was also was chairman of the art department at Yale University’s School of Art and Architecture. Tworkov’s work was exhibited at museums around the world, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Working until only a few months before his death, Tworkov died in Provincetown in 1982.