Harold Ambellan American, 1912-2006

Harold Ambellan devoted his life to the study of the human form: its lines and curves, its movements and actions, and the sensuality of both single and coupled figures. Although his work is fundamentally instinctive, it speaks of a language that we intuitively recognise and feel connected to. It is because of this that Ambellan saw his art as being for the everyman, taking pleasure in the fact that his work was accessible and recognisable to all. He would often draw on discarded scraps of paper, taking inspiration from the world around him, whilst being firmly grounded in an understanding of art history and wider visual culture.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Harold Ambellan (1912 – 2006) was one of the many American artists to benefit from the Federal Art Project during the 1930s, a huge programme to fund the Visual Arts in the United States. He remained buoyed by the opportunities this provided; and in 1954 he exiled to France, continuing his meticulous exploration of the human form there for the remainder of his life.