Hyman William Katz

Hyman William Katz was an American painter and printmaker best known for his lithographs and etchings depicting everyday life, workers, and urban scenes. Born in New York City in 1898, Katz studied at the Art Students League under John Sloan and George Luks, whose influence can be seen in his interest in social themes and expressive realism. During the 1930s he worked for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), creating prints that reflected the rhythms of contemporary American life, including images of laborers, musicians, and street activity. Katz exhibited widely in national print exhibitions throughout the mid-20th century, and his works were collected by major institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. He continued to produce prints and paintings into his later years and remained active in the New York art community until his death in 1988.