Jack Youngerman, who is known for his constructions and paintings, was born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1926. He studied art at the University of North Carolina from 1944 to 1946 under a wartime navy training program, and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1947.

Between 1947 and 1956, Youngerman visited Europe, working on his art at the School of Beaux-Arts in 1947 and 1948, where his painting was influenced by constructivism. He later worked on some architectural projects in Iraq and Lebanon for French architect Michel Ecochard. There, he was impressed by the clarity of the atmosphere and the bright sunlight. He took part in several exhibitions abroad and in the United States. In New York and Paris he was involved in theate...