Editing Dan Flavin (section)

==Early life and career==
'''Daniel Nicholas Flavin Jr'''. was born in [[Jamaica, New York]], of [[Irish Catholics|Irish Catholic]] descent, and was sent to Catholic schools.<ref name="A radiant Dan Flavin retrospective">Paul Levy (February 3, 2006), [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113892448169863848 A radiant Dan Flavin retrospective] ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''.</ref> He was named after his father, D. Nicholas Flavin.<ref name="nytimes.com" /> Dan Flavin studied for the priesthood at the Immaculate Conception Preparatory Seminary in Brooklyn between 1947 and 1952 before leaving to join his twin brother, David John Flavin, and enlist in the [[United States Air Force]].<ref name="A radiant Dan Flavin retrospective"/>

During military service in 1954–55, Flavin was trained as an air weather meteorological technician<ref name="nga.gov">[http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2004/flavin/youth/youth.shtm Dan Flavin: A Retrospective, October 3, 2004–January 9, 2005] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526005008/http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2004/flavin/youth/youth.shtm |date=May 26, 2012 }} [[National Gallery of Art]], Washington, D.C.</ref> and studied art through the adult extension program of the [[University of Maryland]] in Korea.<ref name="Guggenheim Museum Bio">{{Cite web|url=http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/collections/collection-online/show-full/bio/?artist_name=Dan%20Flavin&page=1&f=Name&cr=3|title=Guggenheim Museum Bio}}</ref> Upon his return to New York in 1956, Flavin briefly attended the [[Hans Hofmann]] School of Fine Arts and studied art under Albert Urban. He later studied [[art history]] for a short time at the [[New School for Social Research]], then moved on to [[Columbia University]], where he studied painting and drawing.<ref>Daniel Marzona and Uta Grosenick. ''Minimal Art," Taschen, 2004, p14''</ref>

From 1959, Flavin was briefly employed as a mail room clerk at the [[Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum|Guggenheim Museum]] and later as guard and elevator operator at the [[Museum of Modern Art]], where he met [[Sol LeWitt]], [[Lucy Lippard]], and [[Robert Ryman]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.davidzwirner.com/danflavin/ |title=David Zwirner - Dan Flavin |access-date=November 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091209053042/http://www.davidzwirner.com/danflavin/ |archive-date=December 9, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>