William Zorach

Sculptor, painter and printmaker William Zorach was born in Lithuania, and in 1894 immigrated with his family to the United States. He was a sculptor, painter, graphic artist, and author. Zorach married Marguerite Thompson, a fauvist painter and designer. He was named a professor of art in New York and worked there from 1929-60. Their daughter Dahlov also became an artist.

Zorach was originally a painter before finding his niche in sculpture, and became one of the earliest proponents of the direct carving method in America. He was known for his figure sculptures, which included nudes, children, animals, and portrait heads. Although Zorach used simplified geometric forms in his figural groups, he was able to capture the love and affection in human relationships. He studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art and in Paris, where he met his later wife.