ISAAC ABRAMS


BIOGRAPHY


Isaac Abrams was born and raised in New York City. He is a self-taught artist with an academic background in literature, history, science and psychology. He went to Berlin on his honeymoon to see the Berlin Wall being built.
He discovered psychedelics,
He discovered psychedelics again and again,
He decided there had to be such a thing as psychedelic art.
He climbed a tree with Tim Leary to discuss business
He founded the first gallery of Psychedelic Art in the world in 1965.
He began working as a self-taught painter in the beginning of 1965.
He had his first one man show in 1967.
He went to California and lived on a ranch with real rock stars.
He tried to invent music video in 1970.
He went to Europe for a year. Became friends with the painters of the School of Fantastic Realism
He began working as a sculptor in the 1970's.
He began extensive work as an animation artist in 1981.
He did Raves with his sons multi screen inter active computer animations mixed with live action.
He has always painted.
Now he is painting all the time.


FUTURE EXHIBITIONS
2013One man show - Galerie Gilles Peyroulet, Paris
2013Drawing Now , exhibition of contemporary drawing' - Carrousel du Louvre, Paris


EXHIBITIONS
2013Sous influences, products psychtropic - la Maison Rouge, Paris
2012Visionaries - QCC Art Gallery (City University of NY)
2012The Society for Art of Imagination - Fantastic & Visionary Art, Vienna
2011Psychedelic, Visionary and Optical Art - Tellfair Museum (Spring)
2010Psychedelic, Visionary and Optical Art - Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester
2010Psychedelic, Visionary and Optical Art - San Antonio Museum
2008"Sacred Art" - Haus der Kunst, Munich
2008"Sacred Art" - Centre Pompidou, Paris
2007"Summer of Love" - Whitney Museum, NY
2006"Summer of Love" - Weiner Kunsthall
2005"Summer of Love" - Schirn Kunsthall, Frankfurt
2005"Summer of Love" - Tate gallery, Liverpool
2004Illustration to Curators essay - Whitney Biennial
2002Vorpal Gallery - San Francisco, Callifornia
1984Kampo Cultural Center - Kyoto, Japan, New Painting NY USA-Japan Cultural Exchange
1982Graham Gallery - "New York Visionaries" New York
1982Omni Magazine Exhibition - Space Art Chicago, Illinois
1979Quantum Gallery - New York City
1976Shidoni Sculpture Exhibition - Santa Fe, New Mexico
1976Astral Landscapes, one man show - Dworkin Gallery
1975Group Show, Visionary Art - Dworkin Gallery
1972Galerie McGwire - Vienna, Austria
1971Whitney Museum - New York (experimental video project)
1971"Drawing Masters of the 20th Century" - Tate Gallery, London
1971"New Directions" - Cologne Museum
1970Galerie Bischofberger - Zurich, Switzerland
1969Easthampton Gallery - New York City
1968Galerie Bischofberger - Zurich, Switzerland
1967Easthampton Gallery - New York City
1967Galerie Bischofberger - Zurich, Switzerland
1965First show of Psychedelic Art in the world - CODA Gallery, NYC (Owned by Isaac Abrams)


ANIMATION PROJECTS
1998-2002Rave Works - Free form animations, long form animations in multi-screen formats NYC
1997Space Journey - 4 minute animation for 2nd largest Kaleidoscope in world
1997Spring (Metamorphosis) - 12 minute computer animation for the Worlds Largest Kaleidoscope
1996Peace on Earth - 10 minute computer animation for the Worlds Largest Kaleidoscope
1995World's Largest Kaleidoscope - Designed and created World's Largest Kaleidoscope - 60 foot high with 10 minute animation
1995Universal Theme Park Project - stop motion animation for Douglas Trumbull, creator of 2001; sculptor designer of major set for the BACK TO THE FUTURE RIDE
1989Surprise Symphony - Hayden Animation for use in the field of Musical Education; animator & Producer
1988Animation The Top 15 of 1750 - Baroque Studies in Motion
1987ATV - Experimental Ambient Video Project, one hour animation
1986Corporate Commission - Merrill Lynch
1985-1986Artist in Residence - WTZA - Computer works employing “paintbox” and video editing. Created original look and feel of the station
1985The Allegro from Spring – Vivaldi The Four Seasons - Winner of The CULTURE, SCIENCE & HOBBIES AWARD, of the International Software Fair Audio Visual Age Show, Tokyo 1988
1985Spyra Gyra - Music Video animation
1984Oregon Suite - 30 minute video using abstract animation transferred from film, edited to the music of the Jazz Group Oregon, This work toured Japan as a USA Japan Cultural Exchange. Broadcast on NYC TV
1983Polyphrenia - 15 minute animation shown at Studio 54, and AIR Gallery
1982Pyramid Man - 15 minute animation shown at Studio 54, and AIR Gallery
1971Experimental Video Project - Whitney Museum, NY


PUBLICATIONS
Psychedelic Art - Masters and Houston, Grove Press
History of Modern Art - H H Arnason, Abrams Books
Art Through The Ages 6th Edition - De LaCroix & Tansey Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
The Avant-Garde In Modern Painting - August Bazain, Simon & Schuster
New Directions In Modern Painting - Udo Kulterberg, Cologne
Whitney Biennial Catalogue, Curatorial Essay 2004 -
Summer of Love - Art of The Psychedelic Era Tate Publishing 2005
Traces Du Sacre - The Sacred In Art Publication of the Centre Pompidou, Paris
Psychedelic Optical & Visionary Art San Antonio Museum of Art/ MIT Press -