George Segal

George Segal (1924-2000) was an American painter and sculptor associated with the Pop Art movement. His best known works are cast life size figures and the tableaux the figures inhabit. Instead of traditional casting techniques, Segal pioneered the use of plaster-impregnated gauze strips (designed for making orthopedic casts) as a sculptural medium. His sculptures include Woman Shaving Her Leg (1963), The Dinner Table (1962), and The Gas Station (1964). He created some works based on biblical themes such as The Sacrifice of Isaac (1973), and also addressed public events such as the shootings at Kent State and the Holocaust. In 1997, Segal made figures portraying a bread line for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC. Made of bronze, these depictions, including one self-portrait, were not of his usual material but are a great part of his legacy.