Vivian Altman

(1954-2017)

Growing up in Glen Cove on Long Island, Vivian Altman declared herself an artist at a very young age and never looked back. As a young girl, her artistic process began with frequent excursions to New York City Art museums. She later earned her BFA in painting from SUNY New Paltz where she graduated cum laude, and her MA in studio art and art education from NYU. During her years of study, Vivian was greatly influenced by the Abstract Expressionism movement. She felt instantly attracted to their expressive qualities, and how these artists emphasized free, spontaneous, personal and emotional expression.

Vivian raised her two daughters in Middletown, NY, and spent 20 years teaching elementary art in the Newburgh City School District. Throughout her teaching career, she continued to be a prolific painter and exhibited extensively in both group and solo shows in the Hudson Valley and surrounding areas. As an abstract artist, Vivian’s signature style used vibrant colors and rich textures, with one of her art reviews describing her paintings as “bold and sumptuous.” Her last exhibit took place in June 2016 at the Beacon Artist Union gallery in Beacon, NY. Following this show, her passion for art inspired her to continue painting until she passed away from cancer in March 2017.

Many of Vivian’s works live in private collections, as well as at The United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y, State University of New York at New Paltz, and Sobrevivir/A Will to Live in New York. Additionally, she exhibited at the following venues: Gallery66, Cold Spring, NY; Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, NY; The Gallery at Eastern Hay, Pawling, NY; Gallery Arts Guild, Lakeville, Ct; Kent Caboose Gallery, Kent, Ct; bau, Beacon Artist Union, Beacon, N.Y, (member from 2005 to 2007); Edge Gallery, Denver, Colorado; The Class of 1929 Art Gallery at Eisenhower Hall at The United States Military Academy at West Point; Pace University Satellite Campus at Stewart Airport; Orange County Community College; The Orange County Art Federation; The Orange County Arts Council; and the New Paltz College Gallery, with the Woman’s Studio Workshop, the Vassar College Gallery, and the Woodstock Art Gallery; the New York Brooklyn Museum Art School; among others.