Robert Moskowitz, Painter Known for Depicting New York's Skyscrapers, Passes Away at 88

Robert Moskowitz, a painter known for his unique approach blending abstraction and representation, died at the age of 88 in Manhattan on Sunday. Erik Moskowitz said his father died at a hospital due to complications of Parkinson's disease. 

Moskowitz gained attention with his collage-style paintings, using window shades glued onto off-white canvases. Some of these works, resembling simplified Rauschenbergs, were displayed in the 1961 Museum of Modern Art show "The Art of Assemblage." He later created more collage artworks using envelopes. 

After briefly painting Surreal interiors, Mr. continued making similar collages throughout the mid-1960s to the 70s. Moskowitz experimented with empty corners, using one color or black on black. He also played with recognizable yet ambiguous shapes like a smiley face or a white swastika on a black background. 

He created a pastel and oil paint version of Piet Mondrian's minimalistic "Red Mill". Moskowitz drew inspiration from Rodin, Giacometti, and the ancient fresco "Tomb of the Diver". Additionally, he painted a unique perspective of the Wrigley Building in Chicago, inspired by a matchbook, where the white towers appear to be falling through space. 

Despite their high concept or severity, Mr. Moskowitz's paintings were always more expressive than he admitted. The works on flat fields were always vibrant and joyful despite their stark aesthetic. Moskowitz's gallery, Peter Freeman, Inc., described him as a unique bridge between Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism before he died, shortly after opening their first show with him.