B. Philadelphia, PA, 1921
D. Lake Placid, NY, 2017
Joe Stefanelli is known as a second generation Abstract Expressionist painter. After studying at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, from 1942 to 1946 Joe Stefanelli served in the US Army working as a combat illustrator.
He was greatly influenced by his experience studying with Hans Hofmann in 1947. In 1950 the two important art critics Meyer Shapiro and Clement Greenberg selected works by Stefanelli for their “New Talent Show” at the Kootz Gallery in New York. Shortly afterwards, Franz Kline invited Joe Stefanelli to take part in the legendary “9th Street Show" of 1951 which helped establish the New York School of artists. For Stefanelli, these experiences constituted his introduction into the circle of the Abstract Expressionists.
In one of his articles about the artist, John Russell, the art critic of the New York Times, wrote: “Joe Stefanelli is regarded as one of the leading minds of the New York School. He is an outstanding artist who is not easy to categorize. He creates contrasts between generous sweeping movements with a paint-laden brush and strong, straight lines (which might possibly be drawn with the handle of the brush). He is very convincing amidst that hazardous terrain where red and violet meet and succeeds in marrying pink and pale blue in a way that had been forgotten since the death of Raoul Dufys. He has a clear repertoire of shapes – circle, triangle, rectangle – and he can make them do somersaults over the entire canvas.“
From 1960 until 1979, Joe Stefanelli had various teaching assignments, among other things at the University of California, Princeton University, New York University, Columbia University, Brooklyn College and Temple University in Rome.
His work can be found in numerous museums and collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Institute, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Albright Museum.
