Jan Abt is a New York based sculptor. Currently most of his work concerns itself with abstract figuration. Some work is also non-figurative but still has organic or aquatic references.
In May of 2011 he completed his Masters of Fine Arts program at the New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture. He is currently working out of his studio in Long Island City, Queens, NY.
Jan describes his work by saying, “The more time I spend making sculpture, the more meaningful dialogues I hope to enter into with the works of past artists that speak to me. Over time I have discovered a special affinity for Aristide Maillol, Hans Arp, Henri Matisse, Henri Laurens, Marino Marini, Pablo Picasso, early Henry Moore, Gaston Lachaise and Alberto Giacometti. I would think of my work as more of an unconscious response to the immediate experience of working from life then pushing any one idea deliberately. When making sculpture I think there are external-perceptual and internal-psychological mechanisms at work and ideally they complement one another and result in a personalized “look and feel”! On the external-perceptual plane the model first and foremost provides me with a physical structure to work with, its orientation in space, gravity, etc. This external part takes care of the look aspect. I hope my work can generate enough of an experience so that a viewer can empathize with it and thus become an active participant versus passive observer.”