Aleksander Balos

Aleksander Balos is a Polish artist and figurative painter, who lives in the United States and is a naturalised American.

Life and art

Aleksander Balos was born in 1970 in the town of Gliwice, Poland. His parents, Jan and Janina, were artists, who encouraged him to study art in Gliwice Art Center, while he was still in elementary school. He did his first painting lessons with his father’s oil paints. In 1989 he went to the United States to attend St Joseph High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. There he met with an artist, Mrs Gaggliardi, who encouraged him to attend an art school. Balos studied oil painting under painter and philosopher, Garry Rosin, whose influence of surreal representation left a lasting influence.

After completing BFA in painting with honors from Cardinal Stritch University, and having his first museum show at The Charles Allis Art Museum in 1995, Balos traveled to Chicago, where he attended the School of Representational Art for 2 years. In Chicago, Balos became an American citizen. He moved away from surrealism to representational realism. In 1998, he exhibited his triptych "Last Supper" at Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago. He continues to be represented by this gallery in Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Palm Beach. In 2004 he made contact with Arts Nord Sud, who represent him in Paris, France, and the following year Mr. Balos started exhibiting in Netherlands in Utrecht Gallery, and Gallery Calve in Spain.

olo exhibitions

* 2006 - "Figurative Realism", Utrecht Gallery, Utrecht, Netherlands
* 2005 - "Travaux Récents", by "Arts nord sud" at "Crédit Municipal de Paris, Espace Griffon", Paris, France
* 2005 - "New York", Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL
* 2003–2004 - "New Paintings", Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL
* 2001 - "Parables", Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL
* 1999 - "Martyrs & Sinners", Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL
* 1996 - "Clara Voce Cogito", Chastain Zollinger Gallery, Chicago, IL

Group exhibitions

* 2007 - " Into the Heart of The Southwest", Forbes Galleries New York, NY
* 2007 - "All Media", Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago
* 2007 - "Palm Beach 3", Palm Beach, California Palm Beach, CA
* 2006 - "Realism", Utrecht Gallery, Utrecht, Netherlands
* 2006 - "Acquisition Exhibition", Gallery 180 of The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago
* 2006 - "Palm Beach 3", Palm Beach, California Palm Beach, CA
* 2006 - "Figure", Figure, Utrecht Gallery, Utrecht, Netherlands
* 2005 - "The Summer Show", Royal Academy of Arts, London, England
* 2005 - "Crucifixion", Mito Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
* 2005 - "Palm Beach 3", Palm Beach, California Palm Beach, CA
* 2005 - "Form and Substance", Agora Gallery, New York, NY
* 2004 - "Art Chicago", Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
* 2003 - "Art Chicago", Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
* 2003 - "Armory", New York, N.Y
* 2002 - "Art Chicago", Navy Pier, Chicago, IL
* 2002 - "Young Painters", Miami University, Oxford, OH
* 1999 - "The Figure Studied : An Examination of the Historical and Contemporary Perspective on the Human Form", Crossman Gallery, University of Wisconsin, WI
* 1999 - "The Chicago Art Scene", Belloc Lowndes Gallery, Chicago, IL
* 1998 - "Paintings", Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL
* 1995 - "Paintings of Figures", August House Studio, Chicago, IL
* 1995 - "Elevations", Layton Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
* 1995 - "Paintings", David Barnett Gallery/Rice Building, Milwaukee, WI
* 1995 - "Annual Spring Show", League of Milwaukee Artists, The Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI
* 1991 - "Annual Juried Show", 234 Gallery, Kenosha, WI

Distinctions

*Florence Biennale Invited to Florence Biennale 2007 [http://www.florencebiennale.org "]
*Forbes Trinchera Residency co-sponsored by [http://www.myamericanartist.com "American Artist" magazine]

Publications

* "Direct Art Magazine", #13, NY, [http://www.slowart.com/articles/balos.htm article] Fall 2006
* "The Departed", Martin Scorsese, 2005
* Who's Who in International Professionals, 2004
* "Miroir de l’Art", Number 4, Paris, 2004
* "NY Arts Magazine", [http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4265&Itemid=169 his philosophy on art] 2002
* G. Jurek Polanski, "Parables", Artscopes.net, April 2001
* "ArtNet", dealers selling his art [http://www.artnet.com/artist/424212495/aleksander-balos.html his dealers] 2000
* "New American Paintings", Juried Exhibition in Print, Number 29, Open Studio Press, 2000
* G. Jurek Polanski, "Mystical Realism of Eastern and Western Spirituality", Arscope.net, November 1999
* "The Chicago Art Scene: Sixty-eight Contemporary Artists", Crow Woods Publishing, 1998

External links

* [http://www.aleksanderbalos.com http://www.aleksanderbalos.com is the The official web site of Aleksander Balos]
* [http://www.artscope.net/VAREVIEWS/BalosAleks230301.shtml G. Jurek Polanski april 2001 text]
* [http://www.artabus.com/balos/ Aleksander Balos virtual gallery on the Artabus web site]
* [http://www.absolutearts.com/portfolios/b/balos/ figurative art of Aleksander Balos on Absolute Arts]
* [http://www.artworldchicago.com/baal.html/ Chicago : Aleksander Balos on Art World]
* [http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist/details.php?id=8903/ Saatchi - London : Aleksander Balos : figurative paintings in Saatchi Gallery]

Notes and references

* [http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=104 Glossary: Figurative] Tate online. Accessed May 22, 2006
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=292 Glossary: Surreal] Tate online. Accessed May 22, 2006
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/collections/glossary/definition.jsp?entryId=246 Glossary: Representational] Tate online. Accessed May 22, 2006