A Life Immersed in the Real and the Dreamlike George Clair Tooker Jr., a name perhaps less instantly recognizable than some of his contemporaries, nevertheless occupies a vital space within 20th-century American figurative painting. Born in Brooklyn in 1920, and passing away in 2011, Tooker’s artistic journey was one of meticulous observation, profound introspection, and a relentless pursuit of capturing the anxieties and alienation i…