Arnold Wechsler
Arnold Wechsler was born in 1930 in Jersey City, N.J., and attended both the School of the Visual Arts and Columbia University which he received his M.F.A in 1968. After his education, Arnold taught in the New York City Public Schools in 1969 until 1976. Arnold was the creator and director of the organization Visual Arts Productions (VAP) which was artist forum in the mass media for Manhattan Cable TV. Additionally, he was the co-founder of the Organization of Independent Artists (OIA).
He has exhibited in hundreds of national and international solo and group shows since he began his career in 1961 through his death in 2017. Arnold has exhbited in St. Petersburg, Mscow, Wasington D.C., Mexico City, Paris, Denver, New York City, Madrid, Bologna, etc. Arnold was one of the early East Village artists, where he exhibited in early '70s and ‘80s at Danceteria, Ground Zero, Nico Smith Gallery, and ABC No Rio. His art has also been shown at Columbia University (1968), Hansen Galleries, NYC (1975), Crisscross art Communications, Boulder (1979), Metropolitan Museum of Art (1980), University of Mexico, Chapultepec (1986), Institute of Contemporary Art, Moscow (1993), Barnard Biderman, NYC (1995), Westbeth Gallery, NYC (1999), and Silicon Gallery, Philadelphia (2001). He has been reviewed by the New York Times (1976) and Art in America (2000). Arnold Wechsler's work both recorded his life and his interest in humanity. Arnold received international recognition through his avant garde artwork. Since the 1970's Arnold's paintings have been inspired by popular culture and decorative art by mirroring the balance of organic and gemoetric forms with native pictographs. Additionally, he was inspired by the characteristics of DNA. Arnold was able to integrate his art practice with his travels and his understanding of computer techonolgy. He was using his art to understand the intersection between the outside and virtual world.Arnold was an “appropriationist” using abstract images and pattern compositions as a diary of his worldwide travels. In his work, he captured decorative aspects of Moroccan tiles, Mayan friezes, and the native Americans of the Dakotas and Alaska, as well as mystical and Jewish symbolism. He interpreted cultural icons like Marilyn Monroe and the Statute of Liberty and created his own version of the “Last Supper." Arnold immersed himself in multicultural experiences. For example, he traveled through the Cahpas in Guatemala, the mountains of Japan, and the Suqs of Marrakech. Arnold was driven by his curiosity of different cultures and how they could inspire his artmaking process and outcome. |