b.1928 in Long Beach, California. Starting as a painter, his art grew out of Abstract Expressionism, the art movement that saw its beginnings in early 20th century Europe, notably in the Bauhaus with Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. In post-World War II America the movement saw a flowering particularly in New York City with a group of artists loosely referred to as the New York School, and also at Black Mountain College with Robert Rauschenberg along with musician John Cage and dancer/choreographer Merce Cunningham. Irwin’s installation works of the late 20th century are a strong example of an aesthetic that has its roots in abstraction with a direction that extends beyond it.