Irma Rothstein was born in Rostov, Russia and moved to Vienna to study and work in art and sculpture. She studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule (Academy of the Arts) and at the Vocational School for Woodcutting. In 1938, she immigrated to the USA to escape the Nazi regime. She settled in New York, where she continued her studies while teaching at the City College. Her style was classic and her main media were wood, cast stone, terra cotta and bronze. She exhibited at various individual and group exhibitions, at the New York Metropolitan Museum, the New York World’s Fair, at the Syracuse Museum of Art, the Pennsylvania Academy and other exhibitions. After World War II, her sculptures were exhibited in Vienna. She won first prize of the Mint Museums, second prize of the American Artists Professional League and of the Ellen Rose Memorial Prize for painting and sculpture. Twice she won the first prize of the Springfield Kunstliga. She held membership in various artists’ organizations. Amongst her masterpieces are the busts of G. Bernard Shaw, of Ernest Hemingway and of the music conductor, Dimitri Mitropoulos.