Leland Bell was born in Cambridge, Maryland in 1922 to Russian-Jewish parents. In high school he became impassioned by painting and Jazz. It was at the Phillip's Collection in Washington, DC. that Leland first galvanized his life-long relationship with the tradition of painting and with museums; ... Read more
Leland Bell was born in Cambridge, Maryland in 1922 to Russian-Jewish parents. In high school he became impassioned by painting and Jazz. It was at the Phillip’s Collection in Washington, DC. that Leland first galvanized his life-long relationship with the tradition of painting and with museums; it was in museums that he taught himself and others.
After graduating from high school he left home for Provincetown, Massachusetts to be near the painter Karl Knaths, and then New York City, where he worked various jobs and befriended his painting idols. Leland met and married Louisa Matthiasdottir in 1944. They had Temma, their only child in 1945.
Leland lived and worked as a dedicated painter in New York City, where he also became a well-loved and respected painting teacher and lecturer. He and his wife Louisa spent extended periods of time in Paris, France and Reykjavík, Iceland.
Leland Bell was a self-taught painter whose passion for the discipline of painting has inspired and influenced many. He was also a fierce advocate for artists that he admired like Karl Knaths, Mondrian, Jean Helion and Andre Derain. Leland died in 1991.
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