A 1954 solo exhibition at the Chemerinsky Art Gallery in Tel Aviv marked the professional emergence of Lea Nikel, an artist whose career spanned seven decades. Born Lea Nikelsberg in Zhytomyr in 1918, she eventually moved to Mandatory Palestine in 1920, establishing a lifelong connection to the country where she would receive her most significant professional recognition.
Artistic Development and Education
Nikel began her formal artistic training in Tel Aviv in 1935 under the guidance of Chaim Gliksberg. Her development continued through instruction from Yechezkel Streichman and Avigdor Stematsky, figures central to the regional art scene. Throughout her career, she maintained a practice rooted in lyrical abstraction, a movement defined by expressionistic techniques. Her canvases are characterized by high-keyed colors, brushwork described as brusque and generous, and compositions featuring rough-edged blocks of pigment paired with calligraphic, scribbly lines.
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While her foundation was in Israel, Nikel pursued an international career. Between 1961 and 1977, she lived abroad for extended periods, spending one year in Greenwich Village, three years in Rome, and four years in New York. These years of geographic mobility complemented her presence in global exhibitions, including participation in the 1964 Venice Biennale. Her work gained further international visibility in 2023, when it was featured in the Whitechapel Gallery exhibition titled Action, Gesture, Paint: Women Artists and Global Abstraction 1940-1970.
Recognition and Professional Legacy
The Israeli art establishment honored Nikel throughout her career. Notable accolades include the 1972 Sandberg Prize from the Israel Museum and the 1982 Dizengoff Prize for Painting. In 1985, she received recognition from a UNESCO workshop in Nice, followed by the Gamzo Award in 1987. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art hosted a retrospective of her work in 1995, the same year she received the Israel Prize. In 1997, the French Minister of Culture named her a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. She additionally held an honorary doctorate from the Weizmann Institute of Science.
Personal Life and Final Years
Nikel resided in Moshav Kidron for much of her later life, maintaining her commitment to the canvas until the final days of her career. She was married to Sam Leiman and had one daughter, Ziva Hanan. She also had one sister, Sara Bock, born in 1926. Nikel continued to paint until shortly before her death in Israel on September 10, 2005.
Fast facts
- Born: 6 December 1918, Zhytomyr
- Died: 10 September 2005, Israel
- Citizenship: Israel
- Movement: Lyrical abstraction
- Israel Prize: 1995
- Dizengoff Prize: 1982
- Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres: 1997
- Education: Tel Aviv under Chaim Gliksberg
Questions readers ask
What was Lea Nikel's artistic style?
She worked within lyrical abstraction, utilizing high-keyed colors, rough-edged blocks of color, and calligraphic lines.
Did Nikel live outside of Israel?
Yes, she lived in Greenwich Village, New York, and Rome between 1961 and 1977 before returning to Israel.
Achievements
- Israel Prize — 1995
- Dizengoff Prize
- Movement: lyrical abstraction
