Adolph Gottlieb began his artistic career in New York City in the 1920s, and in 1932, married Esther Dick. In order to support themselves, Esther worked full-time as a teacher, while Adolph continued to paint and work part time. Adolph and Esther, often the only ones able to provide loans to their artist friends, became acutely aware of the needs of the artists and of their financial crises created by many unexpected emergencies. Eventually, after many years of struggle and hard work, Adolph Gottlieb, among the artists known as the Abstract Expressionists, prospered, and his and Esther’s financial worries diminished.
When Adolph Gottlieb died in 1974, he left instructions in his will that a foundation be created to benefit “mature, creative painters and sculptors.” His widow Esther, having helped to conceive this idea, saw to it that his wishes were carried out, and pursued the structural development and organization of the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation. In 1988, when Esther died, she extended the philanthropic legacy initiated by her husband, and bequeathed the major part of her estate to the Foundation, so that Adolph’s painting would continue to serve as a source of founds and an educational resource for other artists.
Adolph and Esther Gotlieb foundation, Inc., 380 West Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10012
“Artist Assistance Grant”
Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation
awarded- September 2003
