LEO RABKIN

RABKIN--Leo. Abstract artist and folk art collector Leo Rabkin died peacefully at his Chelsea home on Sunday, February 15 at the age of 95. Rabkin created colorful painted sculptures inside new and antique boxes. Throughout his long career, he described his works as nugatory divigations, wanderings of the spirit having little or no tangible value. Working with commonplace things found on city streets, he was ahead of his time and of inspiration to younger artists. Born 1919 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rabkin spent his early life studying the violin and as a boy usher for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Early exposure to the rigors of classical music helped him to "think abstractly." He was a member of the American Abstract Artists group for more than fifty years, serving as President from 1964-78. The group honored him with a tribute exhibition in the summer of 2014. He also served for many years on the Fine Arts Federation of New York. Leo Rabkin came to New York City in 1945 after service in World War II. He earned a master's in education and guidance counseling at New York University leading to a fifteen-year position at the Livingston School for Girls on King Street. His own experience with psychoanalysis deepened his understanding of art and led to studies with William Baziotes, Hale Woodruff and Robert Inglehart. He married Dorothea Herz (see NYT obit. December 5, 2008) in 1958 and the couple created a landmark collection of American folk art. The Rabkins donated many works to the American Folk Art Museum including the iconic whirligig sculpture of Uncle Sam riding a bicycle. The High Museum of Art in Atlanta also received historic folk art from the Rabkin Collection. In 2000, the couple created the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation to do charitable work in the arts community. He is survived by his nephew and nieces, Barry Blasberg, Gail Britt and Jill Blasberg Rosenstein, the children of his late sister, Emily Rabkin Blasberg. A memorial service will be held in the spring.