Background
Ruth Gikow was born on January 6, 1915 in the Ukraine. Her father, Boris, was a photographer and her mother was named Lena.
Ruth Gikow was born on January 6, 1915 in the Ukraine. Her father, Boris, was a photographer and her mother was named Lena.
She studied at the Cooper Union Art School, where she studied with Austin Purvis, Junior and John Steuart Curry.
In 1920 she emigrated to New York City. She joined the New York City World Pet Association Federal Art Project. In the same year she held her first solo exhibition at the Weyhe Gallery in New York City.
A young Eleanor Antin, who would later become a famed photographer and performance artist, modeled for Gikow"s early artworks. With other associates, she founded the American Serigraph Society. In 1959 she was awarded a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1979 she was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member and became a full Academician in 1982.
In 1946 she married the artist Jack Levine.