George Segal

George Segal is best known for his life-sized casts of human figures. Eschewing traditional sculptural casting techniques, the artist invented his own idiosyncratic method of employing plaster medical bandages to capture his subjects, resulting in roughly textured white forms. These "frozen" figures were often placed in tableaux alongside everyday objects, resulting in what the artist described as "situation sculptures"—for instance, sitting at a diner counter or pumping gas—that create a stark contrast between the ghostly figures and their naturalistic environments. In addition to these everyday themes, Segal also explored biblical, historical, and mythological subjects; among his best-known works is the controversial In Memory of May 4, 1970: Kent State—Abraham and Isaac, created in response to the Kent State shootings, which uses the Old Testament story as an allegory for contemporary events.

Segal's work has been widely exhibited, including retrospectives at the Jewish Museum and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 1998. In 1999 he received a National Medal of Honor.