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Michael Leonard Portrait Paintings

British, 1933-2023
Born in India in 1933 to British parents, at the end of the war in Europe Leonard returned to England to complete his education. In 1954, after two years of National Service in the army, he went to St Martin’s School of Art in London and studied Commercial Design and Illustration. By the time he left Art School in 1957 he was already working as a freelance illustrator and for many years was busy producing artwork for books, magazines, advertising and the press. As an illustrator he worked in a small studio attached to the offices of his agents ‘Artist Partners’ in Soho. Meanwhile at home he experimented, trying to discover his voice as a painter. His work eventually came to the attention of Fischer Fine Art, a distinguished London gallery of the day and in 1972 several of his paintings were included in one of their group shows. In 1974 they gave him his first One Man Show and after that he gradually left illustration behind. He was nearly forty when his life as an exhibiting painter began. At first his pictures tended to be formal, sober and low key — an attempt perhaps to distance himself from the sensational values of the commercial world. People sat in rooms, posed with their dogs in London’s parks or went sailing on the river. By degrees his work became more animated and colourful. The people in his pictures were usually friends who were kind enough to model for him but he also painted portraits to commission and among his subjects were Lincoln Kirstein, Edward Lucie-Smith, Adrian Ward Jackson, Sir Peter Moores and the Marquess and Marchioness of Hartington (now the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire). In 1985 Reader’s Digest commissioned him to paint a portrait of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II in honour of her sixtieth birthday. (It is now in the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection). The nude, particularly the male nude, has been a recurring theme. His figures are usually on the move or in a state of transition but even when they are at rest dynamism is provided by the design of the picture. This can be seen in Vanitas, (a sleeping man cradling a skull) Watermelons, (a torso as part of a ‘tableau’ with fruit) and in Pomegranate Man and Nectarine Man. Almost all his paintings of the nude are based on drawings which, besides being preparatory studies, are ends in themselves. Michael died in London on 28 July 2023.
(Biography provided by Henry Miller Fine Art)
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Artist: Michael Leonard
Alan, Bella, Brick and Slate
By Michael Leonard
Located in London, GB
Acrylic on Masonite board, signed and dated (lower middle), 70cm x 70cm (91cm x 91cm framed). Price on request This work depicts Alan and his dog, Bella, on Michael Leonard’s balcon...
Category

1970s Post-War Michael Leonard Portrait Paintings

Materials

Acrylic, Board

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Framed 28 X 28 sight 23 X 23 "Veterans", 1988, paint, inlay, with monogram signature on formica board Framed: 28 x 28 in. Sight: 22 1/2 x 22 1/2 in. This painting is after Surrealist master Rene Magritte. It depicts men with bowler hats Carlos Kis, 1932-2010 a well known Brazilian artist. Kis was born in Uruguay to a Romanian Jewish family and moved to Brazil where he was well known for his painting and sculpture. His formica paintings were an extremely laborious process and the media has not been used by other artists other than that of his daughter Anita, under Kis's supervision. Known as a painter, watercolorist and graphic artist Carlos Kis artworks show the surreal, modern and expressionist aspects of his inexhaustible talent and imagination. Inspired by Surrealism he developed Sinapsism. Kis studied at the Faculty of Architecture of the Universidad de la República (UdelaR) and at the Instituto de Profesores Artigas. For three years he ran the art gallery Opus in Brasília , then was director of a fashion magazine, worked as an interior designer and in the design department of an automotive company. Initially painting on canvas, he refrained from doing this during a five-year stay in New York in the 1970s and increasingly turned to works of art made from the artificial material Formica than baked into an enamel at high temperature. The Cyanamid company provided him with the necessary materials. In 1995, the Art of Living magazine devoted an extensive story to his works in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Punta del Este, New York, Guarujá, Porto Alegre, Joinville, São Paulo and Mexico City among others. In 1960, he came to Brazil and lived in São Paulo for ten years. In this city, he released several albums of his own: Razão & Coração e Galos e Galos, 1966; IV Screenprints, 1968; and Woodcuts by Carlos Kis, 1969. 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Select collections Philathea College Museum Of Modern Art - London (England) Chase Manhattan Collection - New York (USA) Exxon Corporation Columbia University Long Island University New York University - New York (USA) Private Collection - USA Beverly Hills Private Collection - USA Private Collection by Greta Garbo - USA Private Collection by Jackie Onassis - New York (USA) Private Collection by Júlio Mesquita Filho - São Paulo SP Private Collection by Marques Della Stufa Oehschlaege Gallery Abril Editora Collection - São Paulo SP Cyanamid Química Collection Hotel Collection San Rafael Individual Exhibitions sd - São Paulo SP - Carlos Kis: Recent Paintings Made in Unique Technique in the World, at Paço das Artes 1945 - Mexico City (Mexico) - Individual - 1st prize with the work Descargando pedregulho 1963 - São Paulo SP - Individual, at the Gallery Artécnica 1964 - Campinas SP - Individual, at the Jockey Club Art Gallery in Campinas 1965 - São Paulo SP - Individual, at KLM Gallery 1968 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Individual, at Kraft Moreno Gallery 1968 - Punta del Este (Uruguay) - Individual, at the San Rafael Art Gallery 1968 - Montevideo (Uruguay) - Individual, at the Columbia Palace Hotel Art Gallery 1968 - Montevideo (Uruguay) - Individual, at the Rio de la Plata Gallery 1968 - Punta del Este (Uruguay) - Individual, at the Guendalina Gallery 1969 - Punta del Este (Uruguay) - Individual, at the San Rafael Art Gallery 1969 - Porto Alegre RS - Individual, at the North American Brazilian Cultural Institute 1970 - Punta del Este ( Uruguay) - Individual, at the San Rafael Art Gallery 1970 - São Paulo SP - Individual, at the Actualidades da Hebraica Art Gallery 1971 - New York (United States) - Individual, at the Empire Savings Bank Art Gallery 1971 - New York (States United) - Solo, at Charles Mann Gallery 1972 - Long Island (United States) - Solo, at Long Island University 1972 - New York (United States) - Solo, at Saint Bartholomew's Art Gallery 1973 - Englewood (United States) - Solo, at the Jewel Spiegel Art Gallery 1973 - Newark (United States) - Solo, at The Art Gallery 1973 - New York (United States) - Solo, at the Park South At Carnegie Hall Art Gallery 1974 - New York (United States) - Solo, at the Empire Savings Bank Art Gallery 1974 - New York (United States) - Solo, at the New York University Art Gallery and The Catholic Center 1976 - Santos SP - Retrospective, at the Municipal Gallery 1977 - São Paulo SP - Individual, at UCBEU 1978 - Florianópolis SC - Individual, at Clube Doze de Agosto 1978 - Brasília DF - Carlos Kis: oils and prints, at Itaugaleria 1978 - São Paulo SP - Carlos Kis: oils and prints, at Itaugaleria 1978 - Itapetininga SP - Individual, at City Hall 1978 - Santos SP - Individual, at Cades Art Gallery 1978 - Santos SP - Individual, at Santos Art and Decoration Center 1982 - Santos SP - Individual, at CCBEU Gallery 1982 - Santos SP - Individual, at Centro Cultural Brasil-United States Gallery 1983 - São Carlos SP - Carlos Kis: oils and prints, at Itaugaleria 1983 - São Paulo SP - Individual, at Galeria de Arte Atualidades da Hebraica 1983 - Guarujá SP - Individual , at Delphin Hotel Gallery 1983 - Santos SP - Individual, at Banco do Brasil 1983 - São Paulo SP - Carlos Kis: oils & paintings in phenolic art, at Galeria Atualidades 1983 - São Paulo SP - Individual, at the First National City Bank Gallery 1983 - São Paulo SP - Kis-Pinturas Recentes, at the State Department of Culture 1984 - Santos SP - Individual, at the Santos Association Gallery 1984 - São Paulo SP - Retrospective, at Sesi Art Gallery 1985 - Sorocaba SP - Individual, at Sesc/Senac Art Gallery 1986 - Joinville SC - Individual, at Joinville Art Museum 1986 - Joinville SC - Individual, at Victor Kursancev Gallery 1987 - Santos SP - Individual, at the Brazil-United States Cultural Center Gallery 1987 - Santos SP - Carlos Kis: paintings, at the United States Brazil Cultural Center 1988 - Santos SP - Individual, at the Santos Doctors Association Gallery 1989 - Santos SP - Individual, at Aliança Francesa 1990 - 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Michael Leonard portrait paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Michael Leonard portrait paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Michael Leonard in acrylic paint, board, paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1970s and is mostly associated with the post-war style. Not every interior allows for large Michael Leonard portrait paintings, so small editions measuring 36 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of and Abraham Straski. Michael Leonard portrait paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $25,883 and tops out at $25,883, while the average work can sell for $25,883.

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