Ivan Albright

Ivan Le Lorraine Albright (February 20, 1897 – November 18, 1983) was an American painter, sculptor and print-maker most renowned for his self-portraits, character studies, and still lifes. Due to his technique and dark subject matter, he is often categorized among the Magic Realists and is sometimes referred to as the "master of the macabre".

From a family of artists and artisans, Albright emerged on the American art scene in the 1930s and established a reputation as one of the most enigmatic of the American Realists. He shocked, awed and upset the viewing public through his emphasis on the fragility of the body, flesh and the human condition with such works as The Lineman (1928), That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door) (1931), and The Picture of Dorian Gray (1943). His work to highlight the minute detail and texture of every surface often required him to spend years or decades on a single painting.

While Albright's works can be found in museums throughout the United States, the most important repository of his works is at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Life

Before the birth of Ivan Le Lorraine and his identical twin brother Malvin Marr Albright, the Albright family (formerly the Albrecht family) was already known for artwork and craftsmanship. Ivan's paternal great-great-grandfather Andreas Albrecht was a master gunsmith in Thuringia, Germany, a family trade passed down to Ivan's grandfather Zachariah. Likewise, Ivan's father Adam Emory Albright was an Impressionist painter and student of Thomas Eakins who built his reputation on landscapes and idealized paintings of children.

Youth and education (1897–1925)

Ivan and Malvin were born in 1897 near Chicago in North Harvey, Illinois, to Adam Emory Albright and Clara Wilson Albright.