born Aug. 15, 1922, New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.
died June 3, 2000, Northampton, Mass.
U.S. sculptor and graphic artist.
After studying in Europe and the U.S., in 1939 he had his first one-man exhibition in New York City, and he later taught for many years at Smith College. He is known for his bleak portrayals of the human figure. His sculptures in bronze, limestone, and wood are dominated by themes of death, vulnerability, and spiritual decay. In his woodcuts he developed a distinctive linear style, depicting figures resembling those in anatomical charts. Baskin was particularly noted for his memorials, including the Holocaust Memorial (dedicated 1994) in Ann Arbor, Mich.