Evelyn Buff-Segal (1913 – 2000) was an

abstract expressionist Abstract expressionism in the United States emerged as a distinct art movement in the aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s, a shift from the American social realism of the 1930s influenced by the Great Depressi ...

painter who lived and worked in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

Early life

Evelyn E. Buff was born as a twin in 1915, in Lowville, Lewis County, New York to Fannie (née Landsman) and Louis R. Buff. Originally a student of architect Fritz Traut, she began studying under Vanclive Vitleture after meeting him during a visit to

Martha's Vineyard Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...

in the late 1940s. He encouraged her to move to NYC and attend the prestigious Arts Students League on 57th Street, where she met

Robert Rauschenberg Milton Ernest "Robert" or "Bob" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter and graphic artist whose early works anticipated the Pop art movement. Rauschenberg is well known for his Combine painting, Combines (1954� ...

. In a 1975 interview for the Rochester Oral History Project, Buff-Segal recalls that Robert Rauschenberg "had the easel to my right." and that among her other classmates at the time were both Paul Jenkins and Robert Cartwright. As a mature artist she split her time between New York and Paris and was known for her compositions inspired by visits to Nigeria with her husband Dr. Harry J. Segal. In 1951 a special exhibition of these works entitled "Home to Nigeria" was featured at the College of Visual Arts in

Syracuse, NY Syracuse ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13th-most populated municipality in the state o ...

. That same year she founded the Rochester Arts Council (one of only three such groups in the country at the time) and served as its president until 1959. She also founded Rochester's 'Arena Arts Group' and served as director and co-founder of The Little Gallery. Her work has been displayed at the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art is a former art museum in Washington, D.C., that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corco ...

in Washington, DC and the former Greer Gallery in NYC. Several pieces reside as part of the permanent collection of Emily Lowe Gallery at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

as well as in numerous private collections both in America and Europe.

Notable exhibitions

*Rundel Gallery and Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 1951. *Terry Institute, Miami, Florida, 1953. *Concoran Gallery, Washington D.C. 1959. *Sisti Gallery, Buffalo, NY, 1960 *Parma Gallery, NY, 1961. *David Herbert NY, 1961. *Greer Gallery, NY, April, 1962. *Chautauqua Art Association Second National Juried Show, NY, 1963.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buff-Segal, Evelyn 1913 births 2000 deaths Abstract expressionist artists Artists from Rochester, New York People from Lowville, New York Art Students League of New York alumni