Hasson studied the sculpture of the modern masters and admired Giacometti's figures, Naum Gabo's linear compositions, the work of Isamu Noguchi, and David Smith's boldness of form. After 1989, he has spent much time in Latin America, including Peru, where Machu Picchu made an indelible impression.[from berensonart.com]

William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. (October 23, 1810 - May 18, 1848) was one of the earliest mixed-race U.S. citizens in California and a highly successful, enterprising businessman. He was a West Indian immigrant of African Cuban, possibly Carib, Danish and Jewish ancestry. William Alexander Leidesdorff, Jr. became a United States citizen in New Orleans in 1834. He migrated to Alta California in 1841, then under Mexican rule, settling in Yerba Buena (now San Francisco), a village of about 30 Mexican and European families. [from wikipedia]