Hugh Mesibov, an American artist whose work has developed throughout most of this century, displays elements of the American experience as well as Abstract Expressionist and figurative works. A recipient of national and international acclaim, Mesibov is included in America's great collection of contemporary art including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes foundation, the Whitney Museum of Art. A veteran of over 30 one-man shows, Mesibov has exhibited widely his works in watercolor, oil, and acrylic as well as etchings, lithographs and monoprints.

Born in Philadelphia, Mesibov first studied at the Fleisher Memorial Art School, then at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Barnes Foundation. During the 1930's he worked with funding from the Works Progress Administration producing paintings, murals and prints depicting Depression Era themes of working life and social commentary. During this period his experimental work in printmaking led to his co-invention (with Dox Thrash) of the Carborundum Print process with which he made the first prototype, "Mystic". His invention on the Color Carborundum Print brought him national recognition.

Mesibov also began to develop his talent for mural painting. The U.S. Treasury Section of Fine Arts commissioned his work "The Steel Industry" which hangs to this day in a post office in Hubbard, Ohio.

In the 1940's, living in New York City, his figurative style gave way to Surrealism and then to Cubism. Experimenting with geometrical planes to express feeling, he balanced structure and fluidity.

Then, while spending four summers in Aspen in the early 50's, a lyrical response to the American West produced exquisite watercolors with a whimsical twist. In contrast, a vacation in the late 50's on Monhegan Island inspired Mesibov to observe and depict the forms and qualities of Nature - horizon, crashing ocean wave and boiling cloud - elements that became as much a part of his palette as the watercolor he used to represent them.

During the 60's Mesibov found himself inspired by literature. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge and Cervante's "Don Quixote" each produced a series of more than thirty works. During this time, Mesibov produced some of his largest works on canvas. Working in his preferred canvas medium, acrylic, he painted on canvases stretched sometimes to 8' x 10'. In 1972, Mesibov produced a mural for the Temple Beth El in Spring Valley, New York, that consisted of three large joined canvases measuring 6' x 16' each. The mural theme, based on the biblical Book of Job, depicts Job's challenge to God and ultimately his suffering and redemption.

Mesibov returned to watercolor during the 80's. Producing a large body of work he brought a lifetime of experience to express winter, summer and pastoral scenes in his "Pond" and "Sunroom" series.

During the 1990's, Mesibov has been occupied with developing new techniques in print-making. The medium of monoprint, which allows a single print to be taken from a prepared plate, provided a rich area of technical as well as creative challenge. Experimenting with pigment, paper and adhesive, Mesibov again pioneered techniques in this increasingly popular medium.

The works of each decade of Mesibov's long career may be viewed on this web site as if walking through a gallery traversing time. This exhibition reveals the Artist as a profound viewer of the world in which he lives. One may observe the evolution of this unique creative energy as well as that of the century that defines us all.