American sculptor, illustrator, wood-engraver, printmaker, graphic artist, writer and teacher. Born in New Jersey in 1922, Baskin attended New York University School of Architecture & Allied Arts from 1939 to 1941, Yale University School of Fine Arts from 1941 to 1943, and later earned his B.A., New School for Social Research in 1949. During his time in Yale University, he founded he own press, the Gehenna Press, which continued to publish books until his death in 2000. This press was one of the longest running private presses in the country. He had his first exhibition when he was 17 in New York. He taught at Smith College from 1953 to 1974. Throughout his career, Baskin received many awards including the Guggenheim Fellowship, the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters, and the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award. His works are in major private and public institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the British Museum, and the Vatican Museums. Some of his exhibitions include the Smithsonian, the Albertina, and the Library of Congress.
