Ida Abelman
Ida York Abelman (1910–2002) was an American artist and muralist known for Social Realist works in the 1930s. Born Ida York in New York City, she married fellow artist Larry Abelman at age 19.
She studied at Hunter College and the Grand Central School of Art, the National Academy School of Fine Arts, and the City College of New York. Abelman joined the American Artists' Congress and worked for the Federal Art Project and the Works Progress Administration as part of the New Deal.
Abelman made many graphic works during the Depression. Her art shows influences from Constructivism, Surrealism, and Social Realism. She often paired machine parts with human or organic forms to explore both the benefits and dangers of a mechanized world. She frequently placed silhouettes on a full page, giving her lithographs a strong, simple look.
Her work is held in several collections, such as American Prints of the 1930s (University of Michigan Museum of Art) and The Machine Age in American Art (Brooklyn Museum), and in The Indiana Historical Society's A Simple and Vital Design. She was on the staff of the Graphic Arts Division of the Federal Art Project in New York City from 1936 to 1939, producing works like Man and Machine (c. 1939) and Construction (1939).
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:47 (CET).