About the artist:

Chaim Gross is considered among one of the greatest of Twentieth Century figurative sculptors, and his graphic work is also highly celebrated. A native of Austria, Chaim Gross emigrated to the United States in 1921 where he began studies with Robert Laurent and Elie Nadelman. His works can be seen in every major American museum collection and at The Chaim Gross Studio Museum in New York. Well known for his direct wood carvings of circus performers, animals and the female form, Chaim Gross worked in a combination of traditional and tribal/folk styles. Gross began to focus heavily on his heritage and Judaic themes after the terrible events of World War II. Today, it is clear that his interest in the human form was used to create more than simple sculpture. Every curvature and graceful stroke helped ensure that the viewer was and will continue to be awed with his unique style. By simplifying and omitting details, his sculpture is a celebration of joy, love and humanity. Gross began exhibiting both his sculpture and graphic art in 1935, and was one of 250 sculptors who exhibited in the 3rd Sculpture International held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the summer of 1949. Primarily Gross was a practitioner of the direct carving method, with the majority of his work being carved from wood. Works by Chaim Gross can be found in major museums and private collections throughout the United States. Gross was a professor of printmaking and sculpture at both the Educational Alliance and the New School for Social Research in New York City, as well as a member of Artists Equity, the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors, and the National Institute of Arts and Letters. He served as President of the Sculptors Guild of America. His daughter is the artist Mimi Gross.