James Rosati was an American abstract sculptor. He was born in 1911 in Washington, Pennsylvania and played violin for the Pittsburg String Symphony in the late 1920s where the classical nudes in the music halls inspired him to becoming a sculptor. Rosati turned to sculpture in 1934 and worked for the WPA Art Project in late 1930s. Rosati moved to New York in 1944, where he befriended fellow sculptor Philip Pavia. Rosati was a charter member of the Club and the New York School of abstract expressionism. Rosati showed at the 9th Street Art Exhibition and Stable Gallery where he became close friends with William de Kooning, Franz Kline and David Smith. Rosati was awarded the Logan Medal of the Arts and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964. A 1969 show at Brandeis University lifted Rosati’s career to new heights. Rosati has shown at some of the most influential galleries including: Otto Gerson, Peridot, Stable and Marlborough.
Rosati is known for his sculptures in stone from the 1960s, and the stainless-steel Ideogram that stood over 23 feet tall on the plaza between Towers 1 and 2 of the World Trade Center in New York City. About forty monumental Rosati pieces of sculpture are located in the United States and around the world. James Rosati also taught at Pratt Institute, Cooper Union and Yale University. Rosati can be found in an array of collections and museums including National Gallery of Art, Carnegie Museum, Hirshhorn Museum, Empire State Collection, Yale University and Whitney Museum.