Norman Carton (January 7, 1908 – February 14, 1980) was an American artist and educator known for abstract expressionist art. He was born in Ukraine, at the time part of the Russian Empire and moved to the United States in 1922 where he spent most of his adult life.[1]
Norman Carton was born in the Dnieper Ukraine territory of the Russian Empire in 1908. Escaping the turbulence of civil war massacres, he settled in Philadelphia in 1922 after years of constant flight.[3]
Carton was awarded the Cresson Traveling Scholarship in 1934 which allowed him to travel through Europe and study in Paris.[1][5] There he expanded his artistic horizons with influences stemming from Matisse, Picasso, Soutine, and Kandinsky. While at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Carton was also awarded the Toppan Prize for figure painting as well as the Thouron Composition Prize.[1] He received numerous commissions as a portrait artist, social realist, sculptor, and theatrical stage designer as well as academic scholarships. During this time, Carton worked as a scenery designer at Sparks Scenic Studios, a drafter at the Philadelphia Enameling Works, and a fine art lithographer.
Throughout the 1940s, Carton exhibited and won prizes for his semi-abstract Expressionist and Surrealist paintings at the Phillips, Corcoran, Carnegie Institute among other renowned institutions. He socialized with and was inspired by Émile Gaugin and Fernand Léger. He was a regular supporter and participant in exhibitions at the Pyramid Club, Philadelphia's leading African-American social club. He was the Founder and first President of the Philadelphia chapter of the Artists Union[7] and later Artist's Equity Association.
During World War II, Carton was a naval structural designer and draftsman at the Cramps Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. Here, he created non-objective sculpture with metal[4][1] and collaborated with architects George Howe and Paul Philippe Cret.
After the war, Carton co-founded a fabric design plant in Philadelphia. He produced hand-printed fabrics for interiors and fashion that were featured in Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and Women's Wear Daily. Original fabric designs were commissioned by notable clients including Lord & Taylor, Gimbels, and Nina Ricci. Some of these designs are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Carton traded his partnership in the fabric design company in 1949 to focus full-time on painting.[4][1][8]
Carton had his first solo exhibition in 1949 at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. This show was followed closely by solo exhibitions at the Laurel Gallery (New York City) and Dubin Gallery (Philadelphia). At this time, his exhibited work was abstract impressionist. In addition to painting, he taught classes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the organization of the National Museums of France commissioned Carton to travel to Europe, mainly France, in 1950 for a color photography study of continental masterpieces. He was granted access to study the restoration of the Mona Lisa and was one of the very few to be given permission to remove the painting from its frame.[9]
The mid-1950s to the 1970s was a busy time for Carton during which he received a great deal of recognition. He had solo exhibitions one gallery after another: Martha Jackson,[11][12] Staempfli,[13] Granite and World House in New York City; Tirca Carlis, Provincetown; Gres,[14] Washington D.C.; and Joachim, Chicago.
Among his NYC artist colleagues were also now Louise Nevelson and John Hultberg who he had helped welcome at the Martha Jackson Gallery. In 1962, with the aid of two other artists, he formed the Dewey Gallery, one of the first New York City galleries owned and operated by artists. He presented his work during the opening exhibition.
During his lifetime, Carton was in at least 170 group exhibits and more than 25 solo shows and continued to receive many PAFA fellowship awards.[1] He was popularly and critically regarded as possessing a painterly style of superlative action and a unique knowledge as a colorist, Carton ground his own pigments and painted with a brilliant palette. More recently, he exhibited with Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko among other great Abstract Expressionists as well as Picasso and Matisse.[15]
Norman Carton had two children, sons Jacob and Benedict Carton.[16] He died of a heart attack at Doctors Hospital in New York City in 1980 at the age of 72.[16]
Legacy
Norman Carton has had more than 30 solo exhibitions and was part of over 210 group exhibitions. His work is currently in more than 20 museums and hundreds of private collections throughout the world.[1][8]
Carton's works continue to be included in present day exhibitions including at Hollis Taggart Gallery entitled Norman Carton Chromatic Brilliance, Paintings from the 1940s–60s and Wild and Brilliant: The Martha Jackson Gallery and Post-War Art; Quogue Gallery entitled 1950s and 1960s Works on Paper, the Nassau County Museum of Art entitled Blue in 2020 as well as Energy: The Power of Art[17] in 2019 and at the Anita Shapolsky Gallery in 2019 entitled Inspiration & Exploration.[18][19]
A representational portion of Carton's papers which include correspondence, writings, notes, exhibition catalogs and sketchbooks were donated to the SmithsonianArchives of American Art where they remain.[20]
Selected museum collections
Many museums hold Norman Carton's works in their permanent collections. Below is a selected list of museums which hold Carton's works[1][21]
