Joe Lasker was born in 1919 and still active and flourishing. Like many of the FORTUNE artists of the day he participated in the WPA mural schemes. In the War he was charged with handling mines and explosives. Coming back to New York he remembers (The Advocate, June 29th 2008) "...how small the art community was in New York City in the early 1950’s. “You could see every one-man exhibition in Manhattan in one afternoon. After a while you would see the same people, nod to the famous artists. I would pass Edward Hopper several times and run into Raphael Soyer in galleries. Soyer and I started talking.” Raphael Soyer became one of Lasker’s life long friends. They would discuss different approaches to painting; Soyer working predominantly from the human figure while Lasker created exterior environments. “I remember he asked me where I got my ideas and how did I know what to paint? He painted mostly models in the studio, something I wasn’t interested in. But he was well on his way.” Soyer painted Lasker and his family many times and these paintings are now in Lasker’s living room. The 1950’s was a time when artists didn’t make much money from their art but it was also a time when it was easier to get work shown and reviewed. When the Whitney Museum of American Art was on 8th Street in Greenwich Village, Lasker says any artist could submit paintings to be included in an annual show. “I submitted a painting and it was accepted, and the New York Times gave it a good mention.”

He lives with his wife Millie in Village Creek at the rim of South Norwalk on Long Island Sound.