Raquel Rabinovich facts for kids
Raquel Rabinovich (born March 30, 1929 – died January 5, 2025) was an artist from Argentina and the United States. She was famous for her paintings and drawings that used mostly one color. She also created large glass sculptures and special art projects along the Hudson River. Her work is kept in many important museums, like the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She is also part of the Smithsonian Institution's history program, which records stories from American artists.
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Life and Art Journey
Raquel Rabinovich was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 30, 1929. Her parents were Jewish and came from Russia and Romania. She grew up in Córdoba. From 1950 to 1952, she studied at the University of Córdoba. Early in her career, she was inspired by Argentine artists like Héctor Basaldúa, Vicente Forte, and Ernesto Farina. She even visited their art studios and later studied art with Farina in Cordoba.
In the late 1950s, she spent six years in Europe. There, she studied art history at the Sorbonne and learned studio art with Andre Lhote.
In 1956, Raquel married Jose Luis Reissig, who was also from Argentina. They had three children together. They later divorced in 1980 but became partners again in 1987. In the early 1960s, she returned to Argentina. During this time, she thought deeply about life and created a series of paintings called The Dark is Light Enough. These artworks were shown in Buenos Aires in 1963. This series was the start of her lifelong journey to understand what she called the "dark source." For Rabinovich, the "dark source" meant the hidden parts of life that seem invisible. These are the things behind how objects, thoughts, language, and the world appear to us.
Because of political changes in Argentina in 1966, she moved to the United States with her family in 1967. She became an American citizen in 1973.
Glass Sculptures and Inspirations
In the early 1970s, Raquel had a dream where her paintings became clear and stood on their own. This dream inspired her to start making sculptures using glass. Her first glass artworks were shown in 1973.
In 1979, she visited Machu Picchu, an ancient city in Peru. She stayed there overnight. Before sunrise, Machu Picchu disappeared from view as it was covered by clouds. Then, very slowly, it reappeared as the clouds lifted in the morning. Many years later, this experience inspired her to create stone sculptures called Emergences along the Hudson River. Like Machu Picchu, these stone sculptures also disappear and reappear. But instead of clouds, the stones are hidden and revealed by the changing tides.
In 1987, her interest in ancient cultures led her to travel to Egypt, India, Nepal, Indonesia, and Thailand. These trips had a big impact on her art.
Raquel Rabinovich passed away at her home in Rhinebeck, New York, on January 5, 2025. She was 95 years old and had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
Art Shows and Exhibitions
Raquel Rabinovich's art was shown in many exhibitions, including:
- Raquel Rabinovich: The Reading Room (Thompson Memorial Library, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, 2018).
- Thresholds (Y Gallery, New York City, 2017).
- River Library (Fundacion Alon, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2008).
- River Library (part of "Imaging the River" group show, Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY, 2003–04).
- Raquel Rabinovich (Galeria Jaime Conci, Cordoba, Argentina, 1990).
- Beyond the Surface: Raquel Rabinovich, Recent Work (American Society, New York).
- Cloister, Crossing, Passageway, 1.32 (CUNY Graduate Center Mall, NYC, 1978 and The Jewish Museum Sculpture Court, NYC, 1979).
Awards and Recognition
Raquel Rabinovich received several important awards for her art:
- In 2011–12, she won the Lee Krasner Award for Lifetime Achievement from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation in New York. This award recognizes artists who have made significant contributions over their careers.
- She also received grants from organizations like the New York State Council on the Arts (1995) and the National Endowment for the Arts (1991, 1992). These grants helped her create new works.
Where Her Art is Kept
Raquel Rabinovich's artworks are part of many museum collections around the world. This means her art is preserved and can be seen by the public.
In the United States, her work is in the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
In South America, her art can be found in the Fondo Nacional de las Artes in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Museo de Arte Moderno in Bogota, Colombia, the Museo de Arte Moderno in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the Museo Emilio Caraffa in Cordoba, Argentina.
In Europe, her work is in the Amateras Art Foundation, National Gallery of Art, in Sofia, Bulgaria.
See also
In Spanish: Raquel Rabinovich para niños
