Louis Ribak (1902-1979) immigrated to the United States from Tsarist Russia in 1912. Being from a poor family, Ribaks' early works focused on the human condition and politics. In New York he was part of the Ashcan movement painting in the social realist style.
In the 1940s the artists work began shifting from figurative to abstract. In 1944 he moved to Taos, New Mexico with his wife and fellow artist Beatrice Mandelman to pursue their mutual interest in abstract landscape painting. The couple opened Ribak Gallery in 1953 where they exhibited their works and taught art classes for the remainder of their careers.