Steven Sorman: The Eye of a Connoisseur

In 2014, FWMoA acquired the archives of international artist Steven Sorman, a singular figure of the post-modern era in art known for his complex, multi-layered abstract paintings and prints. Art critic and curator Mason Riddle noted the subtle evolution and reinvention of Sorman as he wrote, “Where some artists make a career out of bold stylistic shifts, Sorman excels in a consistency of artistic practice. With the eye of a connoisseur, he discriminately borrows formal elements from the aesthetic trove of his past to create a more visually compelling present. His creative slate is never wiped clean, only refined. Nor does one ever sense that a mark has been made, a form envisioned, or a process explored just “˜to try something new.’ While a new spirit is often evident, it is one that is confident with the past.”

Sorman is best known for his multimedia, complex paintings, drawings and prints. He is a master at orchestrating theme, line, layer, media and color into challenging images that demand a rhythm of eye movement throughout his artwork. Sorman is noted for artworks that are visually complex. His surfaces are rich, varied and detailed, and full of vivid color.

Since 1970, over 80 one- artist exhibitions have featured Sorman’s work in galleries in Singapore, Sweden and the United States. His work has been exhibited in numerous invitationals. In the 1970s, prestigious exhibits included the “Paper as Medium”, Smithsonian Institute; The National Print Exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum and the 13th International Biennial of Graphic Art in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia. In the 1980s, Sorman was invited to exhibit at the Bienal Americana de Artes Graficas at the Museo de Arte La Tertulia in Columbia.