05/31/2026
Eugene Arcieri (1914–2005) oil on board. Exhibited at Spiral Group 1954 at the Riverside Museum.
Eugene Arcieri (1914–2005) was an American artist renowned for his contributions to surrealist art over a career spanning more than seven decades. Born in New York City, he began drawing and painting at the age of 10 and later honed his skills at the Art Students League.
During the late 1930s, Arcieri was active in New York City’s vibrant art scene, working on the Federal Art Project and assisting Philip Guston on a mural for the 1938 New York World’s Fair. He exhibited widely across the United States, including in New York and Washington, D.C. In the 1950s, he became a founding member of the New York Spiral Group, a collective of 16 diverse artists that included Joseph Meert, Margaret Mullin, and Peter Blanc.
Arcieri relocated to Woodstock, New York, in the 1950s, where he became an active member of the Woodstock Artists Association & Museum (WAAM). He served on the Board of Directors and as Chairperson of Exhibits during the 1980s. His dedication to the arts was recognized in 1983 when he received WAAM’s Yasuo Kuniyoshi Fund Award for his collage, “Persona.”
His body of work encompasses abstract surrealist canvases, collages, and phantasmagorical dioramas, reflecting his visionary approach to art. Arcieri continued creating art until his passing in 2005 at the age of 91.
