Abraham "Abe" Fagenson

Abe Fagenson was an artist, an engineer and an experimenter, curious about how things worked and what he might make of them. He could spend weeks working out a painting or become absorbed in a subject that caught his interest. He also loved puns. If an ordinary sentence offered an unintended second meaning, Abe was unlikely to let it pass unnoticed.

 

Born in Detroit to Bertha and Edward Fagenson, Abe grew up with his brothers, Bill and Al. His father died suddenly when Abe was eleven. He was especially devoted to his mother and remained close to his brothers throughout their lives. Those relationships continued to matter deeply to him as his own family grew.

 

Abe served with an Army Engineer Battalion in the European Theater during World War II. His artistic life began during those years. In a handwritten account, he recalled learning to draw in 1943 while stationed in Iceland, with help from an Army buddy. Later, during lulls in combat, he sketched people and events in France, Holland and Germany. After the war, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where his interest in Cubism and spatial concepts developed.

 

His working life in California brought together his practical and creative abilities. He spent nearly forty years in aircraft engineering, designing, among other things, tanks for firefighting aircraft and airstairs for airplanes. There were also ventures into stained glass, insurance and mutual funds. While working for a Los Angeles stained-glass studio, he made windows for churches in Los Angeles and Pasadena.

 

Through all of this, Abe kept making art. He painted portraits of family members, tried different techniques and taught neighborhood women to paint in the family’s converted garage. He was interested in photography, especially stereoscopic photography and the possibility of creating images with depth.

 

After retiring, he began experimenting seriously with ways to bring those interests into his paintings. He made pairs of carefully related images, one for each eye. Viewed in a particular way, they merged visually to create an illusion of three-dimensional space. The work required patience and precision; a single piece could take several weeks. It suited the artist and engineer in him, giving him a problem to work through as well as something to create.

 

You can explore Abe’s 3D paintings on his website: www.abefagenson.com

 

In his own handwritten description, Abe said his goal was “to paint with both eyes open.” He believed these paired paintings could offer a new way of thinking about painting. He seemed to enjoy the process at least as much as the finished work. Making art into a commercial enterprise held little appeal. He was happier making it, talking about it and sharing it with others.

 

Roses were another lasting enthusiasm. Abe became seriously involved with the Rose Society, and growing roses became both a hobby and an important part of his social life. He enjoyed investing, photography and following his curiosity wherever it happened to lead.

 

The person who shared so much of that life was Marge, whom he met at the Art Institute of Chicago. They married in 1946, moved to Los Angeles in 1950 and raised three children, Reva, Ed and Lou. They eventually settled in the San Fernando Valley, first in Reseda and later in Granada Hills. Their marriage lasted more than seventy-five years.

 

They were different people in ways that served them well together. Abe could become fascinated by an idea and follow it wherever it led. Marge was creative too, as well as practical, direct and capable. She organized things, solved problems and made sure things got done. Together, they built a life full of family, friendship, creativity and travel, with a home where people gathered.

 

In Reseda, they put a swimming pool in the backyard. On summer weekends, the house filled with sisters, brothers-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who came to swim, barbecue and spend the day together. The pool became a gathering place for a much larger family than the five people who lived there.

 

Holidays brought everyone together too. Marge regularly hosted Passover and Thanksgiving, while her sister Rose hosted Hanukkah. Nieces and nephews were an important part of family life and were welcome for extended visits. Over the years, the family grew to include grandchildren, great-grandchildren and several generations of nieces, nephews and their children.

 

Abe and Marge loved to dance and spent years square dancing with the Lads and Lassies. Rose Society events took them to places including Portland and Japan. They traveled extensively, enjoying the chance to see somewhere new, meet people and learn something they hadn’t known before.

 

Their long lives brought an enormous number of relationships and stories. Some people knew Abe through his paintings or roses, others through work, dancing or years of friendship. Different generations of the family knew different versions of him and Marge, adding their own memories to the ones that came before.

 

Abe died in December 2022 at ninety-nine. In the years after his death, Marge often spoke about how much she missed the person who had been beside her for most of her adult life. She died on August 13, 2026, also at ninety-nine.

 

Their wish was for their ashes to be joined together. After more than seventy-five years of marriage and a life shared so fully, it was a fitting wish.