Clement Greenberg — art critic (modernism) with roots in the Russian Empire
Clement Greenberg was the preeminent American art critic of the mid-20th century. His championing of Abstract Expressionism — Pollock, de Kooning, Rothko — and later Colour Field painting made and defined major careers, and his theoretical writings on modernism remain foundational texts.
Tracing the roots — Russia / Lithuania
Born in the Bronx to parents from Russia and Lithuania (Russian Empire), Greenberg grew up in a milieu of Jewish immigrant intellectual ambition. His critical project — elevating American painting to world leadership — carried the immigrant hunger to prove that America could equal and surpass European culture.
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Russia / Lithuania. At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
A career defined by ambition
"All profoundly original art looks ugly at first."