Overview
In a prolific career that spanned more than four decades, Nissan Engel developed and continually refined a richly layered and deeply personal form of artistic expression. Born in Israel in 1931, Engel studied at the prestigious Beaux-Arts Bezalel in Jerusalem and later earned a diploma in theater design from the Centre Dramatique de l’Est in Strasbourg, France. His international background and multidisciplinary training shaped a body of work that is as diverse in medium as it is in subject matter with a recurring source of inspiration being music.
This exhibition features a series of prints from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ collection inspired by Beethoven’s symphonies. His compositions were not meant to be a visual narrative of the music. Instead, Engel named his prints and paintings after the physical sheet music incorporated into the artwork. Engel believed music could suggest color and movement, and his compositions often reflect this, with blues and greens evoking tonal harmony. Engel’s art invites viewers to experience music visually, offering a fusion of sound and image that continues to resonate.
Above (left to right): Nissan Engel (French, born Israel, 1931–2016), Beethoven’s 6th Symphony, 1988–1989, color etching on paper, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of the artist, 1997.6.6; Nissan Engel (French, born Israel, 1931–2016), Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony, 1988–1989, color etching on paper, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Gift of the artist, 1997.6.3
“I must say that when I discovered the potential of music notes as a graphic expression in my work, that opened for me a whole new field of creation and creativity. I have always loved music, and I always work while listening to music. Initially I used music notation and scores purely as graphic expression. But when I was pushed into trying to express certain music pieces in my artworks, and before I knew it, I was involved in creating themes that had to do with real music.” – Nissan Engel
Gallery
Organizer
Organized by the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama.
Exhibition Sponsors
Annual support for exhibitions is made possible by the following sponsors and grantors:
Lead Sponsors and Grantors: Alabama State Council on the Arts, Art Bridges Foundation, Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC, Mr. and Mrs. Barrie H. Harmon, Ill, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC, Lamar Advertising of Montgomery, Mr. and Mrs. James K. Lowder, Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and Mrs. Helen Till
Sponsors: Mr. Owen Aronov, Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Runkle, Sabel Steel, The S. Adam Schloss Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Weil, III, Laurie J. Weil, D.V.M. and Dr. Tommy Wool, and Ms. Helen Crump Wells
Co-sponsors: Mr. and Mrs. Sam Adams, Alabama Trucking Association, AmeriFirst Bank, Mr. and Mrs. Marvin H. Campbell II, CAPTRUST, Dr. Robert Combs, Crum Family Charitable Foundation, Mrs. Camille Elebash-Hill, Harmon Dennis Bradshaw, Inc., Mrs. Ann Hubbert, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Ives, Mr. and Mrs. L. Daniel Morris, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Mussafer, Dr. Alfred J. Newman, Jr., River Bank & Trust, Russell Construction of Alabama, Inc., Ms. Micki Beth Stiller, Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Taylor, and Warren Averett, LLC.
Special thanks to the Alabama State Council on the Arts.
