The Newman Art Gallery, showcasing the work of Brooklyn-born artist David Newman (1927-2005), is now open in the Third Street South shopping district. Newman’s work, described as abstract expressionism, has been displayed at galleries worldwide. Daughter Nikki Newman along with granddaughters Brigitte and Alison Chapman decided to launch a family-owned and -operated gallery exclusively devoted to David’s extensive body of work, which Nikki labels as “progressive, unique, and timeless.”
David’s collection contains approximately 5,000 works, of which 1,000 are placed with collectors, corporations, and museums. His art has been represented for decades in galleries spanning the globe—from New York to Chicago to Paris, France, to Florence, Italy.
Naples Illustrated spoke with Nikki about her father’s creativity:
NI: What formal training did David receive?
Nikki Newman: While he held a Bachelor of Arts from Pace University in New York, acquired later in life, it is safe to say he was self-taught. As a young man, he was the protégé of American sculptor Malvina Hoffman and studied at various art schools in New York, including the Art Students League, the Clay Club, and the National Academy of Design, as well as Syracuse University (with Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrovic).
David eventually moved to France and Italy, enriching his knowledge at European art schools, such as Beaux-Arts of Paris, and with Romano Romanelli in his studio at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (the Florence Academy of Fine Arts), which houses Michelangelo’s David. He was invited by the Accademia Carrara to carve marble from May to October each year as a guest. During the winters, Vatican sculptor Antonio Berti provided studio space in Sesto. During this period David carved Il Pugno, Torso, and L’Oppresso in marble.
How did he develop this talent?
He was a meticulous observer. He drew his conclusions from attentive analysis of the works he admired. The practice of drawing would remain a constant through his life, culminating in an enormous number of watercolors upon ink created since 1979. He had a strong sense of self-criticism and measured his works against the familiarity he had for those he considered “the great ones.”
Why Naples for the gallery’s location?
After several years in France and Italy, David decided to return to America. He selected Florida, where he was welcomed and respected as a young sculptor and artist. Founders of the now Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach commissioned 34 bronze busts, as well as works for a one-man show of sculpture and drawings at the now Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach. David and his French wife and muse, Michèle, loved the region. After she passed in 2022, we selected Florida and the art-enriched community of Naples for a homecoming of David’s opus.
What will visitors learn from a visit?
The gallery has been curated to reflect six decades of art revealing parallelism, despite tremendous differences in colors and subjects, as well as techniques and mediums. We hope our visitors enjoy the intellectual figurative work that is provocative and humorous; find peace in the family and religious works; and [find] joy in the abundant use of color and whimsical designs.
Regular visitors will establish links and be able to recognize a Newman. They will see the filiations of each work, the complexity of character—serious, classic, and austere and then mischievous, humble, and generous. David had a keen intellect and was very humorous, saying, “I never change a line or shape. Even if the paint drips down the canvas, I don’t wipe it up. I respect it to such a degree that I’ll never touch it again.”
