Nathan Slate Joseph has been an integral member of the New York School of Art for more than forty years. He blurs the boundary between painting and sculpture, creating dimensional works made of shards of discarded steel. He stains the metal with raw pigments and acids, then exposes them to the elements outside his studio. During this process, the metal acquires rich, saturated color and varied textures. He cuts the steel plates then layers and assembles them using spot-welding to produce intricate arrangements.

 

Much like contemporaries Frank Stella, Carl Andre and John Chamberlain, Joseph began his career by experimenting with scrap metal and other found objects. A journey to Mexico in the 1970s inspired a shift toward his dramatic color palette. By incorporating color into his work, Joseph extended the language of the junk art movement. Travels through China, India and Indonesia, where he encountered shantytown dwellers crushing cans and scavenging for materials to make shelters, further informed his practice. 

 

The aggregations and textures in Jerusalem We All Love You, are typical of his two-dimensional works, which are often named after far-flung locations. They suggest an airborne view of layered patchworks of human habitation and cultivation. 

 

Nathan Slate Joseph was awarded an Institute Honor Award for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects in 2002 and has collaborated on numerous large-scale public projects with the renowned designer Adam D. Tihany.

 

His paintings have been acquired by the Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick, New Jersey; and Art in Embassies, Washington, D.C., for United States embassies in Cyprus, Mexico and Turkey. Private collectors include artist John Chamberlain, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell and chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

 

Born in Rishon LeZion, Israel, 1943 | Lives and works in New York