Description: This is a visually striking and Important Vintage Mexican Modern Abstract Painting, Watercolor on Paper, by the renowned Mexican Modernist painter and sculptor, Leonardo Nierman (1932 - 2023.) This piece depicts a Lyrical Abstract image, reminiscent of an exploding supernova. Fiery tendrils of vibrant color and energy explode from a focal point in the center of the image. This volatile abstraction of color and energy is rendered against a stark white field, perhaps representing the empty void of Outerspace. Signed: "NIERMAN" in the lower right corner. Approximately 19 1/2 x 25 5/8 inches. Actual artwork is approximately 11 7/8 x 17 7/8 inches. This piece likely dates to the late 1960's - early 1970's. good condition for age and storage, with light scuffing and scratches to the vintage metal frame, and moderate soiling to the inner cloth frame / matting (please see photos.) Nierman has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City and his original artworks are included in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and MoMA in New York, among others. If you like what you see, I encourage you to make an Offer. Please check out my other listings for more wonderful and unique artworks! About the Artist: Leonardo Nierman Born: 1932 - Mexico City, MexicoDied: 2023Known for: Abstract expressionist landscape painting, sculpture, muralsName variants: Leonardo Nerman A leader in modern Mexican art, Leonardo Nierman creates paintings of abstract landscapes that are highly colorful and full of motion and velocity as though propelled by music. He also has had a wide following in the United States.In 1972, he had a major exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City and from that time has had exhibition venues throughout the world including the United States, Italy, Israel, Australia, Spain and Japan.He was born in Mexico City and earned a Bachelor Degree from the University of Mexico in Mexico City in 1951.Source: LeKae Gallery, Scottsdale, ArizonaBiography from Morton Casa de SubastasThroughout his life he collaborated with great exponents of the plastic arts, in 1956 he delved into the works of muralism with the help of David Alfaro Siqueiros, from whom he acquired lessons on the preparation of his pigments. Among the influences that marked his career we can mention Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Joan MirĂł and Giorgio de Chirico. His work has traveled the world, for example, The Millennium Flame, located in Chicago or the Sensation of Flight at the airport in St. Louis, MissouriBiography from The Grapevine GalleryAbstract expressionist Leonardo Nierman is a leader in the vibrant theater of modern Mexican art. Known for paintings that combine precise crystalline geometry with fiery, amorphous forms suggestive of lava flows or events in the cosmos, Nierman hearkens back to his Mexican predecessors, as well as to the modern lessons of cubism and modernist internationalism, combining western artistic revolutions.Shortly after graduating with a degree in physics and mathematics from National University of Mexico, Nierman undertook studies of the psychology of color, the harmony of both static and moving forms in space, and the relationship between abstract art and the cosmic phenomena. His first major work was a grand mural at the National University of Mexico, and since that time his works have been acquired into numerous public collections.Music, the artist's primary inspiration, is reflected both in the movement of his compositions and in the ghostly violins that fade in and out of the swirling paint. Formerly lead violinist for the Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Leonardo Nierman regards music as the highest art form.In the face of his creative vision, his humility is revealed when he states "Music can transport you in a few seconds to a flamenco experience in Granada, Spain or can seat you at a banquet in Elizabethan England or medieval France. It can project you into time, into any country, any culture. Nothing can do that better than music." Leonardo Nierman One of the leading contemporary artists in Mexico, Leonardo Nierman produced a large body of work delving into different media, from painting, over sculpture, to tapestry. His works are characterized with vibrant color and movement, as they inspire contemplations about nature, cosmos and spirituality.A child of Eastern European immigrants who met in Mexico, Leonardo Nierman was born in Mexico City in 1932. Early on, he demonstrated strong affinities toward the arts, especially music, but also to physics and mathematics in which he attained a Bachelor's degree. Young artist first fantasized about becoming a famous musician, but this turned out to be only a dream. His degrees in color psychology and business administration aided his artistic propensity, but he never pursued any other career than the one in art.According to the artist, once he relinquished music, he began to feel color and this fascination keep s following him throughout his life. Scientific background the artist has helped him develop theories of color and light, which he would then transfer onto the canvas. Strongest artistic influences we can see in Nierman’s art are definitely Kandinsky, Klee, and Miro, but there are traces of Cubism and Surrealism as well.Leonardo Nierman’s style can be described as associative abstraction born from the modernist tradition, while his work is dominated by various interpretations of cosmic landscape. His art was always essentially connected to his love of music, especially the works of Bach, Debussy, Mahler and Stravinsky, and we can almost see the dynamics and rhythm of their compositions in Nireman’s brushstrokes.Leonardo Nierman was awarded many times throughout his career and he is the proud recipient of the prestigious Palm d’Or des Beaux Arts, Monaco he won in 1969. Since the 1950s, he held over 100 exhibitions across Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia. His works can be found in museum collections in 13 countries worldwide, including such institutions as The Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City and MoMA in New York, among others.Leonardo Nierman lives and works in Mexico City, Mexico. Leonardo Nierman Leonardo Nierman Mendelejis (November 1 1932 – June 7 2023) was a Mexican artist mostly known for his painting and sculpture. He at first wanted to be a violinist but gave it up after twenty years when he compared a recording of his playing with that of Yehudi Menuhin. However, his musical training has been a major influence on his painting and sculpture, reproducing movement and harmony as Nierman sees similarities between the two disciplines. Nierman had had exhibitions in Mexico and abroad and over sixty recognitions of his work, half of which are from outside Mexico. His work is abstract but still with discernible images from nature such as birds, water, lightning and more. His paintings are in pure colors while his sculptures are generally of metal, often silver-toned.LifeLeonardo Nierman Mendelejis was born in Mexico City on 1 November 1932. He was the only child of Lithuanian Jewish parents Clara Mendelejis, a bakery worker and Chanel Nierman, a bus inspector who later started a small jacket factory. Nierman's parents arrived to Mexico in the mid-1920s, his father from Lithuania and his mother from Ukraine, both poor. The two met in Mexico.When he was a child, he wanted to be a musician and dedicated himself to the violin for two decades. At that time, art did not attract him although he remembers seeing the murals of Diego Rivera and JosĂ© Clemente Orozco but with little reaction except anger upon seeing some vandalism on an Orozco mural. To pursue music, he began with private violin lessons and attended the National Conservatory of Music of Mexico for a while. He even gave some recitals in the Palacio de Bellas Artes. He gave up the violin when he heard a recording of himself playing Symphonie espagnole by Édouard Lalo, and then comparing his interpretation with that of Yehudi Menuhin.At first, he thought he had wasted his time with the violin but had since decided that it gave him his philosophy on life and prepared him for his painting and sculpture. After he left music, he began to be attracted to color, but he remained attached to music, especially artists such as Bach, Debussy, Mahler and Stravinsky. However, he was still hesitant about painting. He remembered that one day he was walking in the historic center of Mexico City and found an artist's supply shop and thought about taking up painting as a hobby, but then thought he could not because of lack of preparation.Despite his affinity for the arts, Nierman's formal education was not in this field. He graduated from preparatory in 1951, with a concentration in physics and mathematics. In 1953, he studied the psychology of color and form in static and moving bodies. He also began spending large amounts of time in museums. He completed a bachelor's in business administration at the Universidad Nacional AutĂłnoma de MĂ©xico but never pursued this career because he had begun to paint, including a mural at his school. He began painting on his own in his bedroom in his parents’ home. He never thought he would become professional but little by little the activity began to consume most of his time, becoming a self-taught artist.Nierman died on 7 June 2023, at the age of 90. CareerNierman began his career painting when he convinced the dean of the business school where he was a student, to paint a mural at the department's auditorium in 1956. To paint the mural, he made an appointment with David Alfaro Siqueiros to ask for advice, receiving such especially the mixing of colors. The mural was later destroyed when the wall was taken down.Nierman had been painting for a while when Raquel Tibol invited him to exhibit his work at the Centro de Deportes Israeli in Mexico City. He told himself that if he did not sell a single painting, he would quit. Two paintings were purchased and were then seen by the owner of IFA Gallery in Washington, DC. Since 1959, this gallery has exhibited Nierman's work and opened doors for him internationally.From then, he held over 100 exhibitions in the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe. More recent exhibitions include the Universidad AutĂłnoma de Coahuila in 2000, the International Museum of Art & Science in Mcallen, Texas in 2009, the MACAY museum in MĂ©rida in 2012, the Francisco CossĂo Museum in San Luis PotosĂ in 2012, and the art gallery of the Complejo Cultural Universitario in the city of Puebla in 2012.His work can be found in museums and public buildings in Australia, Austria, Colombia, Costa Rica, the United States, Spain, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, Panama, Sweden and Thailand. These include the gallery of the Vatican, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City, the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, The Art Modern Gallery of New York and Phoenix Art Museum.His monumental works can be found in many of Mexico's major cities and abroad. In 1969 he painted a mural for the physics department at Princeton as well as designed the stained glass windows for Temple Beth Israel in Lomas de Chapultepec. His metal sculptures appear in places such as universities, concert halls, research centers, libraries, cultural centers, atriums and parks in countries such as Canada, the United States, Ecuador and Lithuania. These include the Flame of the Millennium commissioned by Howard C. Alper, which is at the Ohio Street interchange of the Kennedy Expressway in Chicago, Eternal Light at the Outpatient Care Center of the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago and SensaciĂłn de Vuelo at the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.In 1997 he created a limited-edition postage stamp for the Mexican postal service.Nierman received over sixty recognitions, half of them from outside Mexico. Recognitions including Honorific Mention at UNAM (1960), member of the Instituto de Artes in Mexico (1964), lifetime member of the Royal Society of the Arts in London (1965), Palme d'Or des Beaux Arts from Monaco (1969), Royce Medal (New York, 1970), League of Art Gold Medal (Chicago, 1980), Golden Centaur and honorary masters of painting from the Academy of Italy (1982), named European Academic by the Centro Studi Di Recerch L Accademia D Europa in Italy (1984) and the winner of the sculpture competition at the University of Central Florida (1988). In 1993, he became a patron of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in London. In 1995 he received an honorary doctorate from Concordia University in Irvine, California. The city of Chicago named 19 December in his honor in 2002. In 2003 he received the Gloria Award from the International Latino Cultural Center in Chicago. In 2010 he received the Vasco de Quiroga Medal from the Mexico City government. UNAM named a classroom designed for cultural activities after the painter in 2011.ArtistryHis artistic production includes painting, tapestry design, sculpture, murals, engraving and glass work. His first artwork was done in the 1950s, influenced by the work of Kandinsky, Klee, MirĂł and Chirico, as well as the abstract, cubist and surrealist movements. However, much of his later work had been shaped by his interpretation of nature and a search for the relationship between abstract art and the cosmos, spurred by his studies of color and movement in the 1950s. The other major influence has been his musical background. He stated that music and painting are very much alike — both have tonalities, rhythms, high-intensity areas and resting areas. He has been called the Jackson Pollock of Latin American art. His work has been classified as “magical expressionism.” He painted abstract forms with movement and rhythm using bright colors. His work is not narrative. He described his work as an interaction of colors which create a moment. While abstract, elements of nature are present in his works with elements such as wind, water, lightning, fire and volcanic eruptions.In his painting, he preferred to work with clean pigments as the mixing of colors tend to dull the effect of light. When he painted, he said it was like going crazy. He did not know at that time if the work is good or not only that it makes him feel. It was not conscious or planned. Nierman has said: Painting is to me the aperture through which it is possible to enter a certain world; in it the viewer may find an endless number of magic images, objects, remembrances, associations, fears, joys, hopes and dreams.His sculpture work has been made of marble, silver, gold, bronze and stainless steel, but it is usually silver-toned. These often contain elements such as birds, angels, archangels, winged victories, flames, and musical instruments. His metal sculptures evoke movement and harmony usually through the use of spirals.
Price: 1350 USD
Location: Orange, California
End Time: 2024-11-29T03:10:44.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Leonardo Nierman
Unit of Sale: Single Piece
Signed By: Leonardo Nierman
Size: Medium
Signed: Yes
Period: Post-War (1940-1970)
Material: Paper, Watercolor
Region of Origin: California, USA
Framing: Matted & Framed
Subject: Outer Space, Stars, Abstract
Type: Painting
Year of Production: 1960
Original/Licensed Reproduction: Original
Item Height: 25 5/8 in
Style: Abstract, Expressionism, Mexican, Modernism
Theme: Art, Exhibitions
Features: One of a Kind (OOAK)
Production Technique: Watercolor Painting
Country/Region of Manufacture: Mexico
Handmade: Yes
Item Width: 19 1/2 in
Time Period Produced: 1960-1969