Sawin was born in New York City. He attended
Brown University, received a B.A. from
Columbia University and an M.A. from the
University of Iowa. He studied in Paris on the G.I. Bill with
Fernand Léger. At Columbia, Sawin studied under
Meyer Schapiro, who admired him and collected his work. Their correspondence in the archives at Columbia University indicates a lifelong friendship. He was also deeply admired by the philosopher and critic
Arthur Danto Sawin taught at
Brooklyn College from 1959-1984 in an art department that included
Philip Pearlstein,
Walter Rosenblum,
Lois Dodd, and
Lennart Anderson. He also taught at
Sarah Lawrence College,
Williams College, and
Columbia University. From 1949 to 1969 he was married to the art historian and writer
Martica Sawin. His work is held in numerous private collections. It was included in the 1955 Annual Exhibit of Contemporary Painting at the
Whitney Museum of American Art and in “New York School – Second Generation” at the
Jewish Museum in 1957. A 1986 exhibit at the Waverly gallery was the subject an article in The Nation by Arthur Danto and he was the subject of a retrospective at the
Newport Art Museum in 1988, with a catalogue essay by Arthur Danto. == Work ==