Ibram Lassaw, 90; His Sculptures Are in Major Museums

Ibram Lassaw, 90, an abstract sculptor whose works are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, died Tuesday at his home in East Hampton, N.Y.

Lassaw was a New York School artist who helped found American Abstract Artists, which was devoted to nonrepresentational art. Lassaw was known for his colorful metal sculptures with titles that alluded to astronomy and science.

Born in Egypt to Russian parents, Lassaw moved to New York at age 9 and began taking sculpture classes at age 12. He later went to the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in Manhattan and briefly attended City College.

Lassaw served in the Army during World War II and later used the welding skills he acquired there in his art.

In 1951, Lassaw sold his first major sculpture -- to Nelson Rockefeller -- and had his first solo exhibition at the Samuel Kootz Gallery in Manhattan.