Joseph Drapell Art
German, b. 1940
Joseph Drapell was born into the German- (and later Soviet-) occupied small town of Humpolec (near Prague) in 1940. His parents brought up their three boys not to believe in the official propaganda of the occupying regimes. Like the Czech novelist Milan Kundera, Drapell felt that life was elsewhere. Drapell escaped his birth country at his first opportunity at the age of twenty-five in order to develop his art in the free West. He landed in Halifax in 1966, grateful to Canada for accepting him. Drapell adopted an island (B-109) in Georgian Bay as his new spiritual home. The island has inspired (directly or indirectly) all his mature artistic developments to date.
Drapell's aim was to contribute to the art of painting, rather than to merely make a living as an artist. Between 1968 and 1970, he studied under various visiting artists and lecturers at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. This is where he first started to develop his compression technique as a response to the paintings of Morris Louis. He settled in Toronto in 1970. Drapell walked the streets of New York with a roll of large paintings, until he was discovered by the Robert Elkon Gallery on Madison Avenue. After three exhibitions there (and several in Toronto where he was discovered by Jared Sable of the Dunkelman Gallery), Drapell achieved his first artistic breakthrough in 1974 with the Great Spirit Paintings. Joseph divides his time between Toronto and Georgian Bay (Lake Huron).(Biography provided by OENO Gallery)
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Flute - expressive, neutral pastels, gestural abstract, acrylic on canvas
By Joseph Drapell
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This compelling abstract painting by Canadian artist Joseph Drapell is considered an important work as it debuted at the artist’s groundbreaking solo exhibition at the renowned Thoma...
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1980s Abstract Joseph Drapell Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
Descent of Light - rich, dark, impasto, gestural abstract, acrylic on canvas
By Joseph Drapell
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This deeply dramatic abstract painting is by the masterful Canadian expressionist Joseph Drapell. Thick layers of swirling paint in black with patches of red, green and turquoise are...
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1990s Abstract Joseph Drapell Art
Materials
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Danish Middle
By Joseph Drapell
Located in Austin, TX
Acrylic on canvas. Signed, titled, and dated on verso.
34.25 x 87.5 in.
36 x 89.5 in. (framed)
Custom framed in in a natural cherry floater.
Provenance
Dunkelman Gallery, Toronto
Born Josef Drapell in German-occupied territory near Prague in the present-day Czech Republic, his interest in art was piqued as a young boy growing up in a country that traded one occupier for the next. Czechoslovakia - under communist Soviet control following the war - would never allow Drapell to enjoy true freedom of artistic expression. He eventually fled his homeland, first stopping in Vienna, before ultimately settling in Canada in 1966.
After a brief spell at the venerable Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI, Drapell returned to Canada in 1970, settling in Toronto - though he frequently traveled between the two countries in pursuit of exhibition opportunities in both Toronto and New York. Those opportunities arrived almost immediately, as he enjoyed solo exhibitions with both Robert Elkon Gallery in New York, and Dunkelman Gallery back home in Toronto.
Drapell splits time between his homes in Toronto and Georgian Bay on Lake Huron...
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1970s Abstract Expressionist Joseph Drapell Art
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Pearl Harbour - rich, colourful, impasto, gestural abstract acrylic on canvas
By Joseph Drapell
Located in Bloomfield, ON
In this dynamic work by the contemporary painter Joseph Drapell, swirls of shiny bright colours—pinks , purples, and plum dance around the canvas. The Czech-born artist creates uniquely beautiful paintings using innovative techniques--trowels, wide serrated blades, and his fingers to apply thick layers of paint or impasto. These grand highly textured pieces have remarkable depth.
“In terms of real...
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1980s Abstract Joseph Drapell Art
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Equanimity - rich, bold, colourful, impasto, gestural abstract acrylic on canvas
By Joseph Drapell
Located in Bloomfield, ON
In this intense and provocative painting by Joseph Drapell, a rainbow of bright colours swirls around the canvas. Gradations of orange, purple, pink, lime green, sky blue and white draw the viewer into the center of this gorgeous piece. The Czech-born artist creates remarkably vibrant paintings using trowels...
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Early 2000s Abstract Joseph Drapell Art
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"In Memory of Clement Greenberg" - colourful, impasto abstract acrylic on canvas
By Joseph Drapell
Located in Bloomfield, ON
An explosion of colour radiates from one side of the canvas in this extraordinary abstract painting dedicated to renowned NY art critic, Clement Greenberg. As a student, Joseph Drapell met and was influenced by Greenberg while studying at an American art school. This piece is rendered in thickly applied waves of shiny orange, purple, plum, white, and turquoise. Holographic materials are also used.
The Czech-born artist creates remarkably vibrant paintings using trowels...
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1980s Abstract Joseph Drapell Art
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Unique Print - bright, colourful, abstract, one of, framed monoprint
By Joseph Drapell
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This compelling singular signed print–one of a kind was created by the Czech born artist Joseph Drapell. The form is reminiscent of the popular sixties’ art game called Spirograph. B...
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Early 2000s Abstract Joseph Drapell Art
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Aarons Galaxy - rich, dark, impasto, gestural abstract, acrylic on canvas
By Joseph Drapell
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Acrylic with rhinestones on canvas. A compelling and inventive abstract painter, Joseph Drapell’s stunning work has long been considered masterful by art critics and collectors alike. The Czech-born artist creates remarkably vibrant paintings using trowels...
Category
Early 2000s Abstract Joseph Drapell Art
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
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Joseph Drapell art for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Joseph Drapell art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, orange, pink and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Joseph Drapell in acrylic paint, canvas, fabric and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Joseph Drapell art, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Konrad Cramer, Michael Conrads, and Adolphe Lechtenberg. Joseph Drapell art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,800 and tops out at $25,000, while the average work can sell for $18,000.