George Sosnak’s baseball art
Pittsburgh is the place to be this summer—for art.
The Carnegie Museum of Art is hosting the 59th Carnegie International in addition to its outstanding permanent exhibit.
The Frick Pittsburgh Museum and Gardens is exhibiting The French Moderns: Matisse, Renoir, Degas.
And less than an hour east of Pittsburgh is Greensburg, home to the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, where a home run of an exhibit of uniquely American folk art is now on display. It’s the outstanding and fascinating baseball art of the late George Sosnak.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1924, George Sosnak was a minor league umpire, baker, and corrections officer who became a self-taught artist with an obsession for the game. Using India ink, a magnifying glass, and endless patience, he transformed baseballs into intricate visual stories filled with portraits, stats, highlights, and even autographs. Sosnak’s work aligns with American folk and self-taught art traditions, where everyday materials and personal devotion become vehicles for storytelling and cultural memory. Of the nearly 3,000 baseballs he began, he completed approximately 800.
This exhibition brings together over 60 of Sosnak’s remarkable works—including several dedicated to the Pittsburgh Pirates—with letters from players and organizations. Play Ball! is both a love letter to America’s pastime and a joyful reminder of how art can capture the spirit of a game.1
We visited Play Ball! earlier this week … these photos of my favorites will give you an idea of Sosnak’s unique talent.
Westmoreland Museum of American Art