About The Art

Fred Staloff (1924-2019) was born in New Jersey in 1924.

Mathematics and science were his major interests as a high school student. He was attending the Newark College of Engineering when World War II changed his plans. He joined the army in 1943.

Initially, he was assigned to continue studies at the University of California at Los Angeles, but before long found himself participating in the invasion of the Philippine Islands and Okinawa.

Although the atomic bomb dramatically brought a termination to the war, the moral implications for science were deeply troubling to a young idealistic mind. Discharged from the army in 1946, Staloff found it difficult, if not impossible, to reintegrate himself in previous plans and activities. As the outlines of a second major historical event, the Holocaust, emerged from the war, his cynicism became acute. He would resolve this dilemma by pursuing a career in the arts. 

In 1946, with aid from the G.I. Bill, he enrolled as a student in the Newark School of Fine & Industrial Art. There he studied sculpture with Reuben Nakian and painting with Hans Weingaertner. After graduating in 1949, he went to Paris, where he studied in the Atelier of Ossip Zadkine and then at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.

It was at this time that he fortuitously met the young woman, Janette Gannat, who would become his wife and be so supportive of his artistic ambitions.

Back in the United States in 1951, Staloff continued to paint while holding various part-time jobs. His work in the early part of the decade showed various influences as he searched for a more personal expression. In 1956, he resigned from all other activites to commit himself entirely to painting.

“The Butler Institute is honored and privileged to present the remarkable paintings of Fred Staloff. Staloff’s career, which spans more than six decades, is a testament to the quality and staying power of American painting, and a wonderful reminder that painting continues to be the most vital of the visual arts.

This retrospective exhibition is a celebration of one man’s artistic vision and talents, but it also provides a wonderful educational opportunity for the community.”  – Dr. Louis Zona, Executive Director

“Fred Staloff’s paintings are modern in every respect, clearly defined and aesthetically pleasing. He showed a true understanding of form and color, simplifying nature to the point of abstraction.” – Gary Erbe, Guest Curator

www.fredstaloff.com

Janette Staloff, the artist’s wife, will attend the reception on September 7th from 1-3pm

CATEGORIES: Exhibition

DATE: September 7, 2025 - November 30, 2025

LOCATION: Finnegan-Hynes Gallery, second floor

RECEPTION: September 7th, 2025 1:00pm—3:00pm