Isaac Soyer

Isaac Soyer (April 26, 1902 – July 8, 1981) was a social realist painter and often portrayed working-class people of New York City in his paintings.

Biography

He was the fourth of six children; his older twin brothers Moses Soyer and Raphael Soyer were also painters. In 1912, his parents emigrated from Russia to New York. In his life, he created several paintings, the most notable being "Employment Agency".

A WPA artist, Soyer's "Employment Agency" reveals the social realities of the years of the Great Depression.

Soyer worked at a number of institutions in his life, mostly teaching art:

• Bell Aircraft Corporation in Buffalo, New York during World War II
• Albright Art School at Buffalo, New York during the years 1941-44
• Art Institute of Buffalo and Niagara Falls Art School during the 1940s
• Educational Alliance Art School in New York during the 1950s
• Brooklyn Museum School in New York City during the 1960s
• New School for Social Research in 1968
• Art Students League of New York in 1969

Isaac Soyer painted portraits of friends and relatives and vignettes of working-class life. Several of his principal works are in the collections of important museums such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, and the Dallas Museum of Art.

Soyer died of a heart attack at Lenox Hill Hospital on July 8, 1981 at age 79 and was residing in Manhattan at the time.

Sources

• New Deal/W.P.A. Artists Biographies