Seymour Lipton

Seymour Lipton began a career as a dentist in 1927. After a few years, he grew interested in sculpture and soon gave up medical practice to devote all of his time to art. His dark and often violent images were influenced by the fragmented forms of cubism, the psychological currents of surrealism, and the vivid portrayal of human suffering in German Expressionism. Lipton’s powerful sculptures reflect the physical forces used in their creation. By hammering, folding, twisting, and welding large pieces of sheet metal, he expressed what he saw as man’s struggle to survive in a modern, technological world. He was interested in anatomy and often ripped apart his sculptures, exposing the many layers of jagged metal to evoke dissected or exploded organic forms.

Text © Smithsonian American Art Museum