Artexpo Success Story: Leon Oks

Chatting with Leon Oks at Artexpo New York 2010.

I spent most of Artexpo New York 2010 in the Show Office (some of you may remember seeing me behind the counter), but every now and then I managed to steal away to post exhibitor photos and quotes on Facebook and Twitter. During one of my forays, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ukrainian-born artist Leon Oks, who now lives and paints in Illinois.

Here’s what the return-exhibitor had to say about Artexpo New York:

“I would say from all the Artexpos which I’ve exhibited in—Las Vegas, Canada—Artexpo New York is the best for me. There are several reasons. It’s a big audience. There are so many artists, people, consumers, collectors, buyers; it’s not like you’re doing a show in a gallery.

“My first Artexpo several years ago was extremely successful. I made connections with several galleries, selected one and I’m still working with her. She constantly sells. It’s an excellent connection.”

It’s easy to see why Leon’s work sells well; his lush, imaginative landscapes and figurative paintings are at once sophisticated and playful, holding universal appeal. Aside from being an exceptionally talented artist, Leon has a fascinating background. He was born in the Ukrainian city of Zhitomir in the former Soviet Union. His father was killed in WWII when Leon was just two years old. From then on, his family moved frequently to stay one step ahead of the Nazi troops. As he says in his website bio:

“Though my early years were filled with loss and hardship, I was able to discover the joy of drawing and painting. I spent each evening in our tiny kitchen, looking at the reproductions in the few art books my family owned. My local art museum also served as a sort of informal school which acquainted my eye with the beauty of oil on canvas. I was also drawn to create studies from nature and spent many days walking through the nearby woods, parks and streets observing the awesome beauty and grandeur that surrounded my town.”

Later, at the local School of Fine Arts, Leon’s artwork was censured by conservative professors due to its sensual content and free, vigorous brush strokes. Fortunately for Leon, he immigrated to the U.S. in 1980 and discovered a whole new creative liberation.

“The seeds that were germinating internally for so long flourished and flowered into my current paintings; the female form, lush and sumptuous, alone or in intricate organic primordial clusters, the tottering, shaky little villages evoking bittersweet nostalgia of childhood, and the forest of birch trees which breathe, sway and beckon. These myriad variations of forms, seemingly unconnected, are chained together by an unabashed romanticism and a commitment to extracting the most expression possible from a fluid line.”

Today, Leon is a successful, award-winning artist who exhibits and teaches widely across the United States and Europe. His work can be founds in numerous private collections and corporations, as well as in museums. In fact, at Artexpo New York 2010, Leon was approached by a woman who wanted him to be part of an upcoming exhibit to be held at The Louvre this autumn.

“After showing my work at Artexpo New York, I had many offers to exhibit in different states, different galleries, and lots of publishers approached me to do prints of my work. What’s also very important to me is that I met very nice people. The socializing between artists is very important. I love the environment.
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In short, Leon’s a big fan of Artexpo. Here’s the advice he would offer to artists considering exhibiting at an upcoming Artexpo:

“I would say go for it, for sure. I think Artexpo is the number one opportunity to show your work, show yourself, and see what other people are doing. Artexpo offers the biggest number of viewers who can see your work in person. Sure, you can see art on the internet, but when you come to Artexpo you see the real art.”

In addition to his many awards, Leon has published work in many prestigious volumes, such as International Contemporary Masters, Famous: 120 Contemporary Artists and Portraits d’Artistes (Editions Regards, 2007). His work is forthcoming in three new books: Creative Genius and Art in Vogue, England; Art, France. To see more of Leon’s work, visit his website at www.oks.myexpose.com.