Benjamin Lee (Ben) Mahmoud, Untitled, 1987

Benjamin Lee Mahmoud 1935-2009

Mixed media on paper

Dimensions: 12 x 18 inches (sheet) 20 x 28 inches (framed)

Signed and dated lower left: MAHMOUD 1987

Artist Information: Over the course of his 34 year teaching career at Northern Illinois University, Mahmoud had over 40 solo shows. Known for his idiosyncratic takes on realism, his work can be found in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

His personal life is a distinctly American story. Mahmoud's father was a Lebanese immigrant and his mother was from a family who had lived in Appalachia in the 1600's. Mahmoud was married five times before his death at age 73.

Institutional work: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/94074/image-6-x-1a