The Baum School of Art, 510 Linden St., Allentown, is presenting "Max Ginsburg: The Social Realist Master," Sept. 12 - Oct. 19 in the David E. Rodale and Rodale Family Galleries.

Ginsburg, a native of New York City, is one of the most highly-respected and accomplished social realist American painters. He credits his father, Abraham Ginsburg, a portrait painter, for providing him with a strong, traditional artistic foundation.

The paintings in the exhibition give graphic evidence related to his strongly-held feelings about peace and justice and his deep outrage to war. His social and political awareness grew out of his personal experience with anti-Semitism, the Great Depression of the 1930's, and the United States' Civil Rights movement during the 1960's.

Many of his paintings portray life in the streets of New York. Much of the street life reflects unglamorous urban realities, but his work also expresses the joy of life. Many of his subjects are people we can identify with: real people with regular lives.

Ginsburg says of his work, "I have lived and worked in New York all my life. As a New Yorker, I feel a deep and personal connection to this rich, energetic and beautiful city with its amazingly diverse population. My objective is to paint about the people of New York, realistically and with compassion."

He taught for many years at The Art Students League of New York, the School of Visual Arts, and the High School of Art and Design. During his extensive career he has exhibited widely and has received many awards. His work is included in major museums and collections.

Recently, he had an exhibition at The Butler Institute of American Art. Three of his paintings from that show, "Bus Stop," "War Pieta" and "Foreclosure," are included in a tour of other American realist painters of five museums in China.

In addition to solo exhibitions, his work has been included in both juried and invitational exhibits that include the National Academy of Design, the Academy of Arts and Letters, the Museum of the City of New York, the New York Historical Society, and the Salmagundi Club.

Ginsburg has recently published an art book of his paintings from 1956-2011, "Max Ginsburg Retrospective," and a DVD that includes a painting demonstration, interview and documentary, "The Legacy of an American Painter."

Ginsburg will demonstrate painting a portrait of a live model, 3 - 5:30 p.m. Sept. 12, followed at 6 p.m. by the opening reception of his exhibition. He will discuss and explain his painting procedures and materials during his demonstration, for which there is no charge.

A two-day workshop, "Painting from Life," will be held 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sept. 29 and 30.

On Oct. 13, Ginsburg will be a guest of honor at Baum's Annual Gala.