Raymond Rocklin

1922 - 2014

Well-known artist and teacher Raymond Rocklin of Damascus Township died at home, surrounded by his immediate family on November 19th, 2014. He was 92 years old.

Raymond was an accomplished artist & sculptor in many mediums, and stood at the forefront of the Abstract Expressionist art movement that began in the United States in the late 1940's.

He was one of the seminal and important figures that helped create this unique style of art. He is also very well known and respected for his unique and beautiful handcrafted and self designed jewelry.

Raymond was born August 18, 1922 in Moodus, Connecticut to parents Leon "John" & Rose Rocklin.

He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Carol Rocklin, and a son, John David Rocklin & wife Danielle of Honesdale.

He is also survived by a brother Hyman "Rocky" Rocklin of Bronx, New York & sister Rita Rocklin of Manhattan, New York.
Raymond was predeceased by a daughter, Alysa, and by 3 siblings, Helen Duboff, Charles Rocklin, and Sophie Bloomfield.

When Raymond was 2 years old in 1924, his mother died and the family relocated from their farm in central Connecticut to New York City.

Raymond's father then placed him in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York. Raymond earned a scholarship to Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan from which he graduated in 1942, a few years late due to childhood illnesses. That same year the United States Army sent Raymond to Temple University in Philadelphia to study Mathematics & Physics as they related to electronics. He was then employed by the United States Army Signal Corps from 1943 -1944.

Raymond's art education began by studying life drawing with Abbo Ostrovsky. He received scholarships to study at the Skowhegan School of Sculpture, where he won 1st place for sculpture (1951), the Brooklyn Museum Art School (1951-1952), and the Cooper Union (1949-52), from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He earned a Fulbright Scholarship in 1952, which enabled him to marry Carol and spend the next year living and studying in Italy with some of the great current masters of Italian art. Raymond also earned a Yaddo Residence Grant in 1956.

Raymond was an original founding member of the Tanager Gallery, part of The 10th Street Galleries which was a collective term for the co-operative galleries that operated mainly in the East Village of New York City in the 1950s and 1960s.

The galleries were artist run and generally operated on very low budgets, often without any staff. The Tanager Gallery was the first of these 10th Street cooperative galleries.


Raymond's work can found in the permanent collections of several prominent museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, as well as in many private collections including those of Walter Chrysler, Mitch Miller, Ned Pines, William Matson Roth, and Colleen Dewhurst.

Raymond has had numerous one-man exhibitions including: Tanager Gallery, 1956; American University, 1956; Oakland Art Museum, 1959; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1959; University of California at Berkeley, 1959; Pomona College, 1960; Ball State University, 1964; Briarcliff College, 1973; and the Mardin Gallery in 1987. He has also been a part of group sculpture exhibitions at many galleries, including: Stable Gallery; Bertha Schaeffer Gallery; AAA Gallery; Galleria Tibunia in Rome, Italy; Claude Bernard Gallery in Paris, France; Whitney Museum of American Art; University of Illinois; University of Nebraska; Everhart Museum; and Bundy Art Gallery.

Raymond was a Professor of Art at City University in New York for over 25 years, and also taught at many other institutions of learning including the Brooklyn Museum Education Department, American University, University of California at Berkeley, and Ball State Teachers College.

Here is a quote from Raymond: "I believe in Love.... I love making sculpture. I believe that all creation is the crystallization of cosmic forces. The forms we create are the embodiment of those invisible forces. If we are sensitive enough we can integrate into ourselves the power and meaning of those energies. That was what St. John was saying: 'And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.'"

A memorial service will be held on Sunday November 23rd from 2 – 5 PM at The Cooperage Project, 1030 Main Street, Honesdale, Pa, 18431

In lieu of flowers, donations to any of the following: The Wayne Memorial Hospital Home Health/ Hospice Services, Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Congregation Beth Israel, Honesdale or The Wayne County Arts Alliance will be greatly appreciated.

More information about Raymond's life and art may be found at: www.raymondrocklin.com and www.facebook.com/raymondrocklin.