Aaron Gelman was born in Hartford, Connecticut on November 24, 1899. He left Hartford Public High School to go to sea, and he traveled in the Mediterranean and European countries earning “his seaman’s papers.” After returning to Hartford he finished high school and studied at the Hartford Academy of Art. Graduating from Hartford Public High School, Gelman went to New York City to study at the Art Students’ League and the National Academy of Design. He left the City for a tour as a seaman of the Carribean and Latin American seaports. Returning to New York, he took up residence in New York City and studied under George Luks, one of the founders of the Ashcan School of Art. In 1928 he accompanied his parents to Palestine and helped them resettle there. He remained there for a year painting people who lived there. This collection traveled worldwide making him famous. Gelman died in Israel May 1970. In Hartford, he had been famous for his portraits. He painted murals for the Connecticut Federal Arts Project.

 Sources: AskART; Who Was Who In American Art (1985); Hartford Courant: “Good Will Club Closes for Spring,” May 24, 1924; Photo Standalone 17, April 20, 1930; Photo Standalone 18, March 15, 1931; “Mrs. Gelman Returns to Palestine Saturday, June 29, 1934; “Paintings Shown in New York by Ex-Local Artist,” March 4, 1937; “City Streets Are Painted by Gelman,” March 3, 1942; Aaron Gelman, City Native, Dies; Noted Painter; New York Times: “Art Notes,” June 8, 1930; “Other Shows,” May 12, 1935; Edward Alden Jewell, “Taking Stock of Local prospects,” June 2, 1935; “Among Other Offerings,” May 24, 1936; Edward Alden Jewell, “Six Centuries of Sports,” March 7, 1937; “As Napoleon Threatened,” January 4, 1932; Photo Standalone 20, January 4, 1942; “Czechoslovak Art at Public Library,” April 5, 1944; “Aaron Gelman,” Wikipedia.