Byron Browne

Byron Browne was born in Yonkers, New York on June 26, 1907. Browne studied at the National Academy of Design from 1924 to 1928 with C.W. Hawthorne and Ivan Olinsky. In 1928, Browne destroyed much of his early work in a rejection of academicism. During the same time, he was introduced to abstract art by Arshile Gorky. In the 1930's, Browne worked on the Murals Division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA's) Federal Art Project. In 1935, he studied with Hans Hofmann and joined the Artists' Union, and in 1937 was a founding member of American Abstract Artists. Browne's style was unique, with geometric abstractions tinged by cubist elements providing an instantly recognizable body of work. When Byron Browne died on December 25, 1961 at the age of 54, he had completed nearly 1,000 works. His work is located in over fifty museum nationwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of American Art, the MFA Boston, and the Whitney Museum.