Reza Afrookhteh

Circus

1979

Reza begun studying art seriously at age 15 and was studying at the institute of art in Iran where he graduated with highest honors. He also studied privately with one of Persia’s ...

Natalya Prager was born in Moscow, Russia in 1938, the daughter of a famous Russian artist Vladimir Prager. She began her life as a ballerina studying at the Bolshoi Theater Ballet School. As a young woman she participated in the Bolshoi Theater performances, but the rigorous training damaged her health. Her exposure to music at a young age certainly influenced the subjects of her future endeavors in art. Her works are lyrical and with observation tell an intimate story. Encouraged by her father, she turned to painting and became a student at the Moscow College of Art. She had two exhibitions of large canvases to critical acclaim at the First Exhibition of Young Painters in Moscow when she was eighteen years old. After marrying her fellow artist Igor Kononov in 1957, she expanded her work in many different different areas, including book illustrations, circus and stage design, and puppet making for a children’s TV channel, receiving critical success and broad recognition. Prager- Kononov came to the United States with her husband and son in 1975. The first years were extremely difficult, but they never looked back. The family settled in Staten Island, New York and since 1985 in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Natalya displayed her works in some of the most prestigious locations in New York City including 57th street and SOHO galleries, Lincoln Center Gallery, Staten Island galleries and many others throughout the country. Her final show, jointly with her husband, was produced by Somerset Arts Association in 1999. Animals had a special place in Natalya’s life and art. Some of the enchanting New York City Toy Center soft animal toys had been designed by her and continue to bring joy to children of the world. Many national and local newspapers published extensive articles and personal interviews praising her enchanting work as a door to the Bewitching Fairy Kingdom...

"Spirit" a bold and thoughtful cubist oil on canvas was painted in December of 2001 by African American artist William (Bill) Cooper. William Y. Cooper was a writer, painter, muralist, illustrator, and art teacher. He moved to Western New York in 1954 from Birmingham, Alabama, to pursue work, and Buffalo has been his home ever since. In 1975, he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University at Buffalo; he was also a state certified art teacher. Cooper woked primarily in oils and acrylics, but also creates drawings on paper. He has painted several commissioned murals and has had more than fifteen one-man shows in Western New York and Ghana, West Africa, and has participated in more than twenty-five group exhibitions since he began his professional career in 1969. His paintings and drawings address both his African heritage and his experience as an American through symbolism and metaphor. He observes, “I am an Afrocentric artist. My worldview is rooted in an African frame of reference and a deep, abiding sense of the creator from whence I draw my inspiration, strength, and a sense of who I am. The use of symbols allows me to explore literal ideas.” Among Cooper’s published works are two children’s books, 77 Jackson Street, Rear and Nakai and the Red Shoes, and a novel for adults, The Mopane Tree. Cooper founded the Afrocentric Artists’ Collective and ran the organization from 1979 to 1981. In 2013 he was designated a “Living Legacy” artist by the Burchfield Penney Arts Center, the latest in a series of honors which has also included awards from the Arts Council of Buffalo & Erie County, the New York State Council on the Arts, and Alpha Kappa Alpha...

Premiering for the first time in three decades, the original paintings of American artist Maurice Green. Born in 1908 in Latvia, Maurice Green studied with prominent artists of the d...