Abe Ajay
(American, 1919-1998)
Construction 892,1992
Mixed media
Collection of Betty Ajay


Abe Ajay: Constructions and Collages
June 27-September 10, 2000

Abe Ajay left his hometown of Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1937, just after graduating from high school, and headed for New York City with the desire to become a professional artist. He joined the Federal Art Project as a printmaker, and then turned to graphic design, working as a commercial artist for over twenty years. In 1963, he retreated to a quiet studio in rural Connecticut, and began to experiment with sculptural constructions. The following year he had his first one-man show, at the Rose Fried Gallery in New York City.

The exhibition, organized by the Palmer Museum and featuring works retained by the artist, brings together four decades of beautifully crafted mixed-media constructions. Also included are a number of Ajay's delicate paper collages—most completed in the years just prior to his death in 1998—which were initially conceived of as a two-dimensional foil to the constructions. The exhibition is slated to travel to other museums beginning in 2001.



Abe Ajay
(American, 1919-1998)
Polychrome Wood Relief,1964
Oil stain and enamel on wood
Collection of Betty Ajay



Abe Ajay
(American, 1919-1998)
Collage 3WCC84,1984
Watercolor on paper
Collection of Betty Ajay


Return to Special Exhibitions

Return to the Palmer Museum of Art's Main Page