ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Gabriel Laderman's Legacy: Figurative Painter and Influential Teacher

artist · 2026-04-22

Gabriel Laderman, a prominent American figurative artist from the 1960s and 1970s, passed away from heart failure on March 10, 2011, at the age of 81. He was born in New York and studied under renowned artists such as Hans Hofmann, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko, obtaining a master's degree from Cornell in 1957. Laderman taught at several institutions, including Pratt Institute, Queens College, and the Art Students League, and was a founding member of the New York Studio School. He also directed the Godwin-Ternbach Museum and championed representational art in his 1968 essay for Artforum. His significant works encompass View of Florence (1962) and The Dance of Death (1995-96). Despite a 24-year battle with leukemia, he continued creating art until his passing.

Key facts

  • Gabriel Laderman died of heart failure on March 10, 2011, at age 81.
  • He was a major figure in new American figuration during the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Laderman studied under artists including Hans Hofmann, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko in the late 1940s.
  • He earned a master's degree from Cornell in 1957.
  • Laderman taught at Pratt Institute, Queens College, the Art Students League, and was a founding faculty member at the New York Studio School.
  • He wrote the essay "The Future of Landscape Painting" for Artforum in November 1968.
  • His paintings include View of Florence (1962), Still Life with Grain Box (1969), and Portrait of Johanna (1972).
  • Laderman battled leukemia for over 24 years before his death.

Entities

Artists

  • Gabriel Laderman
  • Hans Hofmann
  • Willem de Kooning
  • Stanley William Hayter
  • Mark Rothko
  • Ad Reinhardt
  • Alfred Russell
  • Fairfield Porter
  • Clement Greenberg
  • Le Nain
  • Canaletto
  • Giorgio de Chirico
  • Juan Gris
  • Joseph Cornell
  • George Simenon
  • Edward Albee
  • Martin Luther King
  • Robert Kennedy
  • Carol Laderman

Institutions

  • Institute of Fine Arts
  • Cornell
  • Pratt Institute
  • Queens College
  • Art Students League
  • New York Studio School
  • Yale
  • Godwin-Ternbach Museum
  • Queens College Summer Program
  • Caumsett State Historic Park
  • Artforum
  • New York Times

Locations

  • New York
  • Florence
  • Malaysia
  • Upper West Side
  • East Village

Sources