Abraham Rattner, painter and printmaker, was born to Russian parents in New York on July 8, 1893. Initially, he studied architecture and then transferred to painting which he studied at various academies and following war service in France he returned to his arts studies and received a Travelling Fellowship that allowed him to return to France. Rattner settled in Paris studying at various times and continued his studies in art. His first solo exhibition was held in Paris in 1935 followed by an exhibition in New York in the same year. He was forced to flee France in 1940, abandoning his work. Returning to the U.S., he lectured at many top institutions and continued painting until his death in 1978. He is best known for his richly coloured paintings, often with religious subject matter. Rattner was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters and his work is included in Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Baltimore Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
