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Michael Loew was an American Abstract Expressionist artist who was born in New York City.
In the late 1920s, Loew studied at the Art Students League with the Ashcan School and was a recipient of a Sadie A. May Fellowship which allowed Loew to continue his studies in France. Michael worked as a Works Progress Administration artist from 1933–1937 and during this time painted several murals for U.S. Post Offices, High schools, as well as being commissioned to paint a mural for the Hall of Pharmacy for the 1939 New York World's Fair. Michael chose to share his private commission with close friend and fellow artist, Willem de Kooning.
From 1939 to 1940 Loew traveled to Mexico and the Yucatán, gathering inspiration for his future work. Joining the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1943 as a Battalion Painter, Loew documented the work being done on the airbase on Tinian Island. It was from this airbase that the Enola Gay would later take off from to drop the atomic bombs. Loew captured much of the work done on the island by the Navy in dozens of watercolors.
Returning to New York after the war, having lost much of his hearing, Loew started over with his art studies. He studied with Hans Hofmann in New York and Provincetown, and with Fernand Léger in Paris. Loew became a member of the American Abstract Artists and The Artist's Club as well as The Spiral Group. His works were shown at the Stable Gallery Annuals of 1951-1955.
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