HOHMANN
NEIL NAGY
presents
Neil Nagy was born in 1941 in the East Los Angeles community of El Sereno amongst the Mexican culture, of which its buoyant joyfulness and bold colors would greatly influence his future artistic sensibilities. In the early 1960s Nagy gained exposure to the art of the Bay Area Figurative painters Manual Neri and Nathan Oliveira as an Art and Design student at San Jose State College. The laid-back attitude of the period resulted in a lighter and more humanist interpretation of the severe existential Northern European styles. This, along with the explosion of Abstract Expressionism, informed Nagy’s style and work. In 2006 he was selected for an important “Bay Area Figurative” exhibition where he showed alongside Diebenkorn, Park, Oliveira and others. Nagy’s focus became steeped in figurative expressionism, in which he used the human form in mild abstractions to articulate spiritual and physical existentialism. For him, the single human form was the most powerful means of delivering works of poignant beauty that also carried intense emotional messages. Although the figure remains central, the paintings continue to evolve, expressing considerations occupying the artist’s mind from ancient Chinese and Mayan history to contemporary figurative art. Recently, Nagy’s work has been inspired by explorations of the cultural influence of Japan on the postwar modern art world and the exquisite, meticulous art of calligraphy.
Right: YUKO | Acrylic on Canvas | 57” x 43”| 2014 Cover: MIDORI | Oil on Canvas | 54” x 48” | 2014
GEISHA TRIO | Acrylic on Canvas | 57” x 66” | 2014
RED KIMONO | Acyrlic on Canvas | 60” x 30” | 2014
GOLD OBE | Acrylic on Canvas | 60” x 30” | 2014
SAYURI | Acyrlic on Canvas | 56” x 47” | 2014
REIKO | Acrylic on Canvas | 53” x 36” | 2014
AO KIMONO | Oil on Canvas | 63” x 53” | 2014 Left: NOEMI | Acrylic on Canvas | 54” x 42½” | 2014
LITA | Acrylic on Canvas | 48” x 48” | 2014
AKEMI | Oil on Canvas | 48” x 39” | 2014
BIOGRAPHY
1941 1952 1955 1959 1960 1961 1961 1965 1966 1967 1972 1976 1985 1988 1990 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2001 2003 2006 2006 2009 2010 2013 2015
Born Neil Frank Nagy in El Sereno, East Los Angeles to Frank and Doris Nagy. Was encouraged by 5th grade teacher to draw and paint during academic lessons. Miss Lynn also taught Neil to use her letterpress printing machine. Attended La Habra High School and drifted through with major interests in football, cars and motorcycles. Continued to draw and paint on everything from club jackets to his bedroom walls. Was accepted to San Jose State College and majored in Industrial Design with minor in Art. Spent free time in San Francisco in the fringes of the hippie movement and discovering the new art of the Bay Area Figurative painters. Apprenticed at Design Studio on Fridays and spent the weekends haunting the museums and the North Beach galleries. Graduated with Honors at the top of his class. Was selected one of four superior graduating west coast seniors by the Industrial Design Society of America. Married Barbara Young-Fothergill. Marriage lasted 20 years. Raised 3 daughters, Deborah, Mary and Elizabeth who gave seven grandchildren. Moved to Seattle, WA to work for Walter Darwin Teague, the largest design firm in the world at the time. Assigned to run a satellite office inside The Boeing Company with Industrial Design responsibility for all 737 corporate customers. The job required extensive foreign travel and allowed access to art museums all over the world. He discovered and was influenced by the work of Rembrandt, Constable and Turner as well as Japanese art especially contemporary woodcuts. Returned to Southern California and became a partner in a start-up company which designed and produced airline freight handling equipment and passenger loading bridges. Founded Nagy Design, Inc. An industrial design consulting firm. Continued to attend life drawing workshops and studied advanced painting at Los Angeles Harbor College, El Camino College and Otis College. Began extensive travels in Central Mexico, visiting such cities as Oaxaca, Mexico City, Zacatecas and Guanajuato. Was influenced by the Mayan and Olmec art and cultures. Studied at the Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende. Explored Belize by Jeep an visited several archeological sites. Explored Laguna Isabel and Rio Dulce Guatemala in a sailboat. Built a studio on his home in Palos Verdes, CA. First solo show at The Lydon Fine Art in Chigago, IL. Installed a gas fired kiln on his Palos Verdes property. Worked on high fired stoneware sculpture. Joined Left Bank Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA and had several solo shows there. Worked on a series of “Works In Process” comprised of simultaneous drawing, painting and sculpture. The series was shown at solo exhibitions at Angels Gate Cultural Center in San Pedro and the Portland Craft Museum in Oregon. Joined Learsi Gallery in Palm Desert, CA. Sold his interest in the design business to concentrate full time on his art. Bought a home in Palm Springs, California, but maintained his painting studio in San Pedro. Participated in a Bay Area Figurative retrospective at The John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis, CA. This seminal exhibition featured virtually every Bay Area Figurist from David Park forward. Representation by The Hart Gallery in Palm Desert, CA. Representation by Hohmann Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA. Neil Nagy & jd hansen, “Painting and Sculpture” Hohmann Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA. Solo exhibition, Works on Paper “The First Hour” Hohmann Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA. Solo exhibition, “Azuma” Hohmann Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA. Solo exhibition, “New Paintings” Hohmann Fine Art, Palm Desert, CA.
Right: CHO | Acrylic on Canvas | 60” x 48” | 2014
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