Born in Greece, Lucas Samaras emigrated to the United States in 1948 during World War II and the Greek civil war. He settled in New Jersey where he went on to attend Rutgers University (studying under Allan Kaprow and George Segal) and later Columbia University (where he studied art history under Meyer Schapiro). He worked with pastels to make quick, exploratory, geometrical, and haptic forms in rich colors. His interest initially began with self-investigation where he painted a self-portrait from the front and back using a mirror. He stated, “Some artists reject autobiography and psychology, I try to keep them with me, no matter how embarrassing they are."1 Later, he shifted to objects such as cutlery, nails, mirrors, yarn, and feathers, all affixed with liquid aluminum or plaster.
