Tuesday Art ATTACK- Tom Wesselmann “Still Life with Belt and Sneaker”

American Pop artist Tom Wesselmann was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 23, 1931. Wesselman did not originally train to be an artist, instead pursuing a degree in psychology. In 1952 he was drafted to fight in the Korean War, but never went overseas. During this period he began cartooning in his downtime. This hobby became a passion, and after his stint in the Military he decided to pursue it as a career. Returning to college he received a degree from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and Cooper Union in New York. Upon graduation in 1959 Wesselmann was quick to gain acclaim. He began his popular series "Great American Nude" in 1961. These pieces were mixed media using oil and collage (cut magazine photos) applied to huge canvas. As Pop Art grew in popularity, so did Wesselman. After a hugely successful career, Wesselman passed away in 2004.