claim: American Library Association is the largest of its kind and it is in the world.
evidence: David Stern was born on February 3 , 1956 in Essen , Germany and lives in New York .. Essen. Essen, Germany. Germany. Germany. New York. New York City. Stern has referred to himself as an `` action painter , '' echoing the artistic legacies of New York School painters Jackson Pollock , Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline .. New York. New York City. Jackson Pollock. Jackson Pollock. Willem de Kooning. Willem de Kooning. Franz Kline. Franz Kline. Yet his human forms reach further back to histories of portraiture .. After an apprenticeship as a sign painter Stern attended the Dortmund Fachhochschule fur Design and Art -LRB- 1975 -- 79 -RRB- and the Kunstakademie Dusseldorf -LRB- 1980 -- 82 -RRB- .. Kunstakademie Dusseldorf. Kunstakademie Dusseldorf. He then taught painting at the Dortmund Fachhochschule fur Design and Art , while he developed his painting skills living in a village near the town of Munster .. Munster. Munster. In 1986 he moved to Cologne , where he found his artistic voice .. Cologne. Cologne, Germany. From 1987 on , Stern exhibited his work nationally and quickly entered the international scene in the early nineties , with shows in Austria , Hungary , the Netherlands , Belgium and Great Britain .. Austria. Austria. Hungary. Hungary. Netherlands. Netherlands. Belgium. Belgium. Great Britain. Great Britain. Stern 's 1992 retrospective exhibition David Stern  : Study for a Way at the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest was the first exhibition by a contemporary Western artist after Hungary opened to the West .. Hungary. Hungary. Hungarian National Gallery. Hungarian National Gallery. Budapest. Budapest. In 1993 Stern showed his work in the US for the first time , immigrated in 1994 and became naturalized in 2000 .. Since his arrival , he has been fascinated by his encounters with an intensely urban place defined by its energy , crowding , speed and cosmopolitism .. His national traveling exhibition David Stern  : The American Years -LRB- 1995 -- 2008 -RRB- curated by Karen Wilkin , demonstrates shifts in form and content in Stern 's work since the artist moved to New York from Germany in 1995 .. Germany. Germany. New York. New York City. Karen Wilkin. Karen Wilkin. Stern has exhibited widely in New York City , the US and Europe .. New York. New York City. Europe. Europe. His work can be found in public and private collections in the United States , Europe and Asia , including the Metropolitan Museum of Art -LRB- New York -RRB- , the Kupferstichkabinett Dresden -LRB- Dresden , Germany -RRB- , the National Museum -LRB- Poznan , Poland -RRB- , Dresdner Bank -LRB- Cologne , Germany -RRB- , the Kunstsammlung der Universitat Gottingen -LRB- Gottingen , Germany -RRB- , the Arkansas Art Center -LRB- Little Rock -RRB- , the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville -LRB- Jacksonville , Florida -RRB- , the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art -LRB- Sarasota , Florida -RRB- , and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum -LRB- New York -RRB- .. Germany. Germany. New York. New York City. Cologne. Cologne, Germany. United States. United States. Europe. Europe. Asia. Asia. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kupferstichkabinett Dresden. Kupferstichkabinett Dresden. Arkansas Art Center. Arkansas Art Center. Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville. John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. National September 11 Memorial & Museum. National September 11 Memorial & Museum