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Sidney Simon (May 21, 1917 - August 04, 1997) was noted as American painter, sculpture, muralist, art school co-founder, and a recognized war artist.

Early life

Sidney Simon was born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on May 21, 1917. Simon won his first art contest at age five. Simon's father was James Simon a shoe store merchant who immigrated, in 1912, from an area between Siedlce and Sokolowa, Poland then Russia. Simon's mother, was Mimmie Lipman, who immigrated,  in 1913 with her family, from Kalvarija which is now a city in southwestern Lithuania which is located in the Marijampolė County close to the border with Poland which was then, and which remained under Russian rule, until 1915 The James and Mimmie Simon's marriage produced five children, Leon (1912-1988), Sidney (1917-1997), Helen Judith (1919-2007), Leon Jacob (1926-1988), David Irving (1927-1988). Mimmie Lipman's father’s Americanized name was "Max Lipman" shortened from his European name which was Avram Michael Lipmanovitch. According to the 1930 US census the Simon family resided in the Squirrel Hill, an east end Pittsburgh neighborhood at 2766 Beechwood Boulevard. Simon ultimately attended the Squirrel Hill Taylor Allderdice High School in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1936 Taylor Allderdice High School gave Simon, the only one man show every given in the school's history. At the age of 14, Simon won special student status and gaining a John L. Porter Scholarship for two months of study at Carnegie Institute of Technology, (now Carnegie Mellon University). Simon attended Carnegie Institute of Technology  earning a BFA, years 1931-36.

Education

Simon attended Taylor Allderdice High School in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1936, Taylor Allderdice High School, gave Simon, the only one man show every given in the schools history to date. At the age of 14, Simon won special student status and gaining a John L. Porter Scholarship for two months of study at Carnegie Institute of Technology, (now Carnegie Mellon University). According to sources Simon's post high school Higher education included; Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), special student, 1931-36, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, received B.F.A., 1936-1941, University of Pennsylvania, B.F.A., 1936-1941, Barnes Foundation, Merion, PA, 1937-1940, Grande Chaumiere, Paris, France, 1948-49.

Military service

United States Army, Southwest Pacific Theater (November 11, 1942 thru April 19, 1946)

Simon enlisted in the U.S. Army on November 11, 1942, and rose to the rank of Captain. Officer Simon serving as Captain in the Army Corps of Engineers, was in charge of organizing The U.S. Army War Art Unit . Officer Simon was one of four official artists assigned to General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters as an official American WW2 artist covering all major operations in New Guinea and the Philippines in the Southwest Pacific Theater. His duties included painting and drawing and doing field reconnaissance intelligence from March 1943 - October 1945. Simon was chosen to paint the formal surrender ceremony as witnessed September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay aboard the battleship USS Missouri. This date is commonly referred to as V-J Day, therefore ending WW2 During Simon war serve he met fellow American war artist war artist Willard C. Cummings Cumming is reported to be a New England portrait painter Willard C. Cumming was stationed in Alaska along with Mr. Simon and also performed as a U.S. Army War Art Unit. Cumming envision and shared with Simon an educational model where young artists could study with leading artists of the time. Cumming as planned, upon returning from the War in 1946, and with the help of Simon, Henry Varnum Poor, and Charles Cutler, converted Cummings family farm into The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Simon was discharged and released April 19, 1946, from the US Army have earned a Bronze Star and five presidential citations.

Post Military Career

The founding and development of Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture is deeply connected to the explosive energy that characterized postwar American culture and in particular the New York School (art). As report by son Mark Simon, during this Bohemianism period in Simon's lifestyle, Simon met and spent up to a year sharing a second floor Greenwich Village studio with prolific Social Realism artist Jack Levine. In the mid-1940s the art world was in ferment; what was to become known as the New York School (art) which was then in its formative stages. After World War II, New York replaced Paris as the center of the art world. Sensing this postwar American culture, the founding and development of Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture begun. Skowhegan is deeply connected with this explosive energy that characterized postwar American culture. In the mid-1940s four artists; Willard W. Cummings (1915-1975), a New England portrait painter, shared his vision for enriching and educating the practical art experience of young artists with a friend he met while in the Army War Art Unit. This page's subject, Sidney Simon, along with Henry Varnum Poor (1888-1971), already an established presence in the American art scene, and Charles Cutler (1914-1970), a New England stone sculptor, founded an American summer art school that would ultimately achieve an enduring place in the development of American artists. Thus the four founding artists developed "The Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture. Cummings, Simon, Poor, and Cutler look upon their traditional skills as essential, but they dreamt of establishing a school for and about nourishing artist talent thus forming the core model of Skowhegan's" original curriculum. Their design of the program reveals a uniquely capacious vision. These founders intent was not a countryside retreat but to nourish their core artistic philosophies and offer an honest, supportive forum for divergent artist viewpoints.

According Solon Maine Historical Society, Circa 1950, early in the Schools history Sidney Simon, Willard Cumming, Henry Varnum won a Judged commission by prestigious jurists from Whitney Museum of American Art as well as Museum of Modern Art.

Professional associations.

• Listed in Who's Who in American Art since 1950

Obituary

Sidney Simon died on June 21, 1945, at the age of 80 in Truro, Massachusetts. Simon first marriage was to Joan E Lewisohn, this union ended in divorce. Simon's second marriage in 1968 was to Renee Adriance in Manhattan, New York City, New York. At Simon passing, he was survived by Renee Adriance Simon, plus two children Nicholas J. and Tony. From Simon's first marriage to Joan E Lewisohn, Simon leaves five children, Mark, Teru, Rachel, Nora, and Juno; and a sister Helen Grossman.

References

1. ^ Unk, Unk (31 Mar 1967). "Exhibition here by Sidney Simon to open Monday". The Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 Jan 2019.
2. 1930 United States Federal Census
3. 1940 United States Federal Census
4. ^ Unknown, Unknown (10 June 1936). "ALLDERDICE BOY'S ARTWORKS SHOWN Paintings,' Sketches And Sculpture in Exhibit". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
5. Dobrzynski, Judith H. (1997-08-08). "Sidney Simon, Sculptor, 80; Founded School". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
6. ^ "Sidney Simon - biography". sidneysimon.com. Retrieved January 6, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
7. "Biographical Note | A Finding Aid to the Sidney Simon papers, 1917-2002, bulk 1940-1997". www.aaa.si.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
8. University, Carnegie Mellon. "History - CMU - Carnegie Mellon University". www.cmu.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
9. https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/sidney-simon-papers-9407/biographical-note
10. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
11. A version of this obituary; biography appears in print on August 8, 1997, on Page B00006 of the National edition with the headline: Sidney Simon, Sculptor, 80; Founded School
12. "They Drew Fire - Combat Artists of World War II". PBS. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
13. Staff writer(s); no by-line (January 20, 1955). "Sidney Simon of New York Will Exhibit Works at Foundation". The Journal News. Retrieved January 16, 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. "Sidney Simon papers, 1917-2002, bulk 1940-1997 Biographical Note". Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
15. Ayer, Carolyn (June 4, 1967). "Skowhegan Art School Ready for 22d Season". The Boston Sunday Globe. p. 163. Retrieved January 24, 2019. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
16. ^ Tom, Long (August 6, 1997). "Sidney Simon, at 80; sculpture confounded art school in Maine. (page 59)". The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts). Retrieved January 16, 2019.
17. Yonan, Joe (November 12, 2012). "Awesome art in meetinghouse". Herald News. Retrieved January 24, 2019.

Randall N. Brock (talk) 17:34, 27 December 2018 (UTC)

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