Consonance in Dissidence
Music, not painting, was the original passion and dedicated pursuit of now acclaimed artist, Leonard Nierman. Born Leonardo Nierman Mendelejis on November 1, 1932, to Lithuanian Jewish parents, who had met in Mexico as European immigrants, the young artist was madly compelled by the violin. Obsessed by the instrument so much so that he gave up over two decades of mastering it, in his early 20’s, displeased by his own recordings compared to similar interpretations by 20th century master, Yehudi Menuhin. An ironic self-elegy, but not a total loss, Nierman utilized his musical acuity to translate other fields of creativity, namely painting and metal sculpture. Being equally critical of himself in the field of painting as in music, Nierman honed his discipline and was influenced by the famous muralist, David Alfaro Siqueiros, who along with Rivera and Orozco who set the bar for Mexican art at its zenith. Nierman was paying close attention.
Dedicated to painting and pursuing exhibition opportunities with accelerando, the inspired painter accepted an invitation to display his work at the Centro de Deportes Israeli in Mexico City, the area’s largest Jewish community center in the 1950s. The exhibition led to a serendipitous meeting with the owner of IFA Gallery in Washington, D.C. which would inevitably crescendo the artist to international heights. The scale, sharpness, tonality, lyricism, and motifs in his compositions are now applauded throughout the world and the once highly self-critical performer has reached the iconic status of virtuoso. The artist recently passed away in June of this year at the age of 90. Outro. Bravo. Encore.
Collections: gallery of the Vatican, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Fine Art Boston, the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City, Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, The Art Modern Gallery of New York, and Phoenix Art Museum.
Public Sculpture: “Flame of the Millennium”, Kennedy Expressway Chicago; “Eternal Light” University of Illinois Chicago; “Sensación de Vuelo” Lambert International Airport St. Louis
