Leo Russell

1917-1985

Russell was born Chicago, July 9th, 1917 to Fanya and Solomon Scheinman. His parents were active with a group of émigré intellectuals who influenced and encouraged young Leo to develop his creative energies and capabilities. At age ten, young Leo studied with the Russian academician Arloff, with whom he developed his keen sense of observation; he already saw the world with his own perspective and feeling.

In 1929, the family moved to New York City. Leo was enrolled in the school of allied arts, where he studied with the stage designer Eugene Dunkel, and with the Russian Futurist painter David Burliuck. Later Leo attended Textile High School, where he gained skill in Carpentry, drafting, sculpture and metalwork. After finishing high school Leo studied painting restoration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, employing some of the techniques of the old masters.

Leo taught arts and crafts through the WPA program at several New York City Locations. On the basis of this work, his life-long preoccupation with teaching as a form of human contact was firmly rooted. During this period he studied graphic design with Tony Valanos and Jan Bowles, his own execution reflecting the "ash can" school of social realism. When the WPA arts project was suspended, he devoted himself full-time to painting, graphics, and teaching.

In 1938, Leo met the Baroness von Rebay, as a result he received a small monthly stipend from the museum of Non-Objective Art. Leo Russell sold two wood sculptures to Solomon Guggenheim, works that became part of the permanent collection. He participated in a Group Show at the museum with Mondrian, Calder and many Abstract Artists from Europe and America.

During this time Leo was commissioned to do a mural of Stella Brooks, the darling of the intelligentsia, at Georges's Tavern in Greenwich Village. He also executed two murals for the annual parties of the nascent New York School, whose membership reads like a who's who in contemporary art, including Jackson Pollock, de Kooning, Guston and Kline. During this same period he was commissioned by the architect Percival Goodman to paint a mural at the Jewish community center in Wilksboro, PA. With work as a painter, sculptor, muralist, under his belt he did work as a set designer for two off-Broadway plays by Paul Goodman, "Jonah and the Whale" and "Faustina." At this time he also tried the field of window display, and was immediately commissioned by two of Americas's finest specialty and department stores -- Lord and Taylor and Nieman Marcus. Mr. Russell's avant-garde approach to display, utilizing advanced mechanical and electronic techniques in an unorthodox way, were later to be imitated by the pop and Op artists of the 50's and 60's.

Mr. Russell was commissioned by UNICEF, a branch of the United Nations headed by Mrs. Roosevelt, to design and install a U.N. exhibit -- "One World"-- at the Brooklyn Museum. Mr. Russell also worked on special effects for TV on the then number 1 rated family show, "Captain Video". Many of the top science fiction writers, Issac Azimov, Werner von Braun, and Arthur C. Clark, were staff advisors to the show, and the ideas projected by them were realized with utmost authenticity. Mr. Russell also designed two science fiction parks, space City in Lakewood, NJ and Spaceland in Roosevelt Field. Additional TV work was always pursued including a globe designed and constructed by Russell for CBS still spins daily to usher in "As the World Turns".

Always very active in his art making Mr. Russell turned out enormous quantity of Wood sculpture, paintings and lithographs, enough work for 11 one man shows up to the time of his death in 1985.