Beginning June 17 and continuing through July 25 at Atlas Antiques and Art on Hertel, you can view and purchase art created by one of Buffalo’s most prominent artists, Hugh Neil. Titled “Hugh M. Neil: Mid-Century Explorations,” the exhibit showcases recently uncovered and rarely-seen paintings created by the artist during his time in Buffalo in the 1950s.
Neil was born in Amsterdam, New York in 1930. From 1953-1954 he attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he was influenced by Ralph Wickiser, a teacher at the school and a master of form, color, light and texture. After leaving Pratt, Neil came to Buffalo where he attended what is now Buffalo State, though in 1954 it was the State University for Teachers. Eventually he met Peter Busa, an abstractionist who was intrigued by Neil’s work and mentored him.
Despite choosing not to enter many paintings into juried art competitions, 1956 saw a change of heart in Hugh Neil. He entered two paintings in the Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s Western New York Exhibition, where he received a Patteran Society award for “Most Meritorious Multiple Works by One Artist.”
Another painting, entitled “Couple,” received much acclaim and found its way into an international traveling art exhibition. It will be on display in Buffalo for the first time in 50 years.
Neil went back to Pratt for graduate studies in 1962, finished his Master’s at UB in 1964, and taught at Buff State for 35 years. He continues to create art today.
Atlas Antiques and Art is located at 1495 Hertel in Buffalo.
(Cover photo: Hugh M. Neil’s “Couple” (1956))