| Nissan Engel, Israeli (1931 - )
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Artist, craftsman, innovator, technician, poet, musician - all of these terms are needed to describe Nissan Engel. In a prolific career spanning nearly four decades, Engel has developed a unique form of expression - rich, complex, highly personal - that defies easy classification. An artist of international stature, he is perhaps best known for his work in mixed media, in which he manipulates dispatate elements to create harmonious, lyrical compositions. His body of work reflects a continual evolution, a constant seeking of new arenas in which to play out his ideas - painting, drawing, collage, printmaking. As he masters each new technique, he incorporates it into his work to achieve his ultimate artistic goals: harmony and equilibrium.
Born is Israel in 1931, Engel graduated from the renowned Beaux-Arts Bezalel in Jerusalem and later recieved a diploma in theater design from the Centre dramatique de l'Est in Strasbourg, France. He moved to Paris in the mid-1950s, where he painted and also worked on a variety of stage designs and costume projects; he had the first of many successful painting exhibits starting in 1960 at the Galerie Weil. In 1965 he moved to New York City.
During his days in Paris and throughout his ten-year stay in the United States, Engel worked almost exclusively in the painting medium. The subjects of his early works - landscapes, still lifes, and equestrian figures often presented in horse racing and circus scenes - were rendered in a style that was predominantly figural and representationnal, reflecting his academic training. The paintings from this period are strongly graphic and characterized by a bold and direct use of color.
Engel's early influences include Picasso, Klee, Marini, Kandinsky, and other European expressionists, as well as the conceptual artists Oppenheim and Beuys. He also was influenced by the abstract expressionnists of the New York School, many of whom he knew and befriended while living in New York City.
Chronology and Exhibitions
1931 |
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Born in Haifa, Israel |
1952-56
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Studied at Beaux-Arts Bezalel, Jerusalem; diploma
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1957
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Sudied theater set and costume design at Centre dramatique de l'Est, Strasbourg, France; diploma
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1958
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Landwelin Gallery, Strasbourg, France
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1960
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André Weil Gallery, Paris, France
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1963
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André Weil Gallery, Paris, France
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1964
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Reyn Gallery, New York City, New York, USA
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1965
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Moved to New York City
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1966
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Fresno Art Center, Fresno, California, USA
Los Robles Gallery, Palo Alto, California, USA
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1967-69
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Sculpture and stained-glass
comissions: New York, New Jersey, and Maryland
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1970
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Riebenfield Gallery, Jaffa, Israel
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1971
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Goldman Gallery, Haifa, Israel
Probus Rex Gallery, New York City
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1972
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Lim Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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1973
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Lithographs published by New York Graphic Society and Roten Galleries, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Lowenadler Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Raye Landis Gallery, East Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
White Gallery, Lausanne, Switzerland
International Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland
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1974
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Horace Richter Gallery, Tel-Aviv, Israel
International Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland
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1975
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Returned to Paris
Lowenadler Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
White Gallery, Lausanne, Switzerland
International Art Fairs in Basel and Cologne
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1976
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Albert Verbeke Gallery, Paris, France
Alexandra Monett, Brussels, Belgium
Goldman Gallery, Haifa, Israel
Vinciana Gallery, Milan, Italy
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1977
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Arcador Gallery, Grenoble, France
Eliane Poggi Gallery, Grenoble, France
Laura Vincy Gallery, Paris, France
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1978
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Attali Gallery, Paris, France
Capricorn Gallery, Reims, France
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1979
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Won gold medal at the International Art Fair, Paris, sponsored by the Mexican Academy of Sciences and Humanistics
FR3, Lille, France
Frances Laterman, New York City, New York, USA
Jaquester Gallery, Paris, France
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1980
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Albert Verbeke Gallery, Paris, France
Albert Henri Gallery, Rennes, France
Collective Impressions Gallery, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Frances Laterman, New York City, New York, USA
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1981
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Art Expo, New York 81
Jaquester Gallery, Paris, France
John Pence Gallery, San Francisco, California, USA
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1982
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J.C. Riedel/104 Franklin Street Gallery, New York City, New York, USA
Nordstrand Gallery, Oslo, Norway
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1983
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Britt Olsson Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Galerie du Boulevard, Lausanne, Switzerland
Jonathan Pools, New York City, New York, USA
Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Nurit & Werner Haase, New York City, New York, USA
Stockholm Art Fair
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1984
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Britt Olsson Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Galerie 101, Malmö, Sweden
International Art Fair, Basel, Switzerland
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1985
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Eliane Poggi Gallery, Grenoble, France
"Fiest" Paris, France
Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, USA
Art Fairs in Basel, London, and Stockholm
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1988
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Eliane Poggi Gallery, Grenoble, France
Saga, Paris, France
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1989
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Meissner Gallery, Hamburg
Nahan Galleries, New York City, New York, USA
Saga, Paris, France
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1990
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Aurbach Gallery, Buffalo, New York, USA
Konstgalleri Vattern, Motala, Sweden
Nahan Galleries, New York City, New York, USA
Art Fairs in Basel and Tokyo
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1991
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Eliane Poggi Gallery, Grenoble, France
Art Fairs in Chicago, London, Miami, Milan, and Stockholm
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1992
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Meissner Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
Nahan Galleries, New York City, New York, USA
Saga, Paris, France
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1993
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Amkonigsplatz Gallery, Paderborn, Germany
Galerie A.D.S., Paris, France
Gloria Cohen Gallery, Paris, France
Saga, Paris France
Van Almsick Gallery, Gronau-Epe, Germany
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1994
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Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, USA
French Embassy, Washington, D.C., USA
Elbaz Gallery, New York City, New York, USA
J. Bastien Art Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
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1995
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Galerie de l'Estampe, Strasbourg, France
Khun Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Roer Gallery, Mûnster, Germany
Winkler Gallery, Osnabrûck, Germany
Nordstrand Gallery, Oslo, Norway
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1996
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Mensing Gallery, Hamm, Germany
John Davies Gallery, London, England
Frank Gallery, Paris, France
Art Brillant Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Music Festival of Provins, Provins, France
Jean Fradin Gallery, "Printemps des Arts", Nantes, France
Geneva Art Fair, Geneva, Switzerland
Khun Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Jaeschke Gallery, Braunshueig, Germany
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1997
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Saga, Paris, France
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Frank Gallery, Paris, France
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Participation in salons:
Grand Prix International de Peinture, Cannes, France 1958
Jeune peinture, Paris, France 1960-65
Grands et jeunes d'aujourd'hui, France 1960-85
des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France 1960-65
Comparaisons, Paris, France 1980
de Montrouge, France 1980-83
Nissan Engel's works are found in numerous private and public collections, including the following:
Abright-Knox Museum, Buffalo, New York
Bridgeston Museum, Tokyo
The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan
Elf Atochem Corporation, Paris
Fresno Art Museum, Fresno, California
The Jewish Museum, New York City
Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, Virginia
Neuberger Museum of Art, State University of New York at Purchase
Schlumberger Foundation, Paris
Weizman Institute, Rehovot, Israel
Niagara Falls Museum, USA
Artist's Showroom
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