Baskin, Leonard (1922-2000), was an American printmaker and sculptor. His best-known works deal with the good and evil he saw in nature. In most of his prints and sculptures, Baskin portrayed a single man who symbolizes all humanity. This figure is often a victim of oppression. Baskin also included birds of prey, such as crows, eagles, and owls, in his works. These birds symbolize evil and death. Baskin designed a number of woodcuts, engravings, and drawings as book illustrations. He used bronze, limestone, or wood for his sculptures. Baskin created a granite bas-relief sculpture of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s funeral procession for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., which opened in 1997.
Baskin was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Aug. 15, 1922. He died on June 3, 2000.
