A retrospective of works by Nall will be shown at the NAC, April 9-May 8. The opening reception will be Tuesday, April 12, 6-8 p.m. followed by a recital of Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West (Girl of the Golden West). Nall has created the sets and costumes for the opera’s gala debut this summer in Tuscany, Italy.

This biography is taken from Nall’s website http://www.nall.org/

Nall was born in Troy, Alabama, April 21, 1948 from an old established Southern family, that originally drew its wealth from a cotton plantation and later, from the oil industry and finance. During his adolescence, Nall began his interest in art. Later, at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, he obtained his degree in Art, Political Science, and Psychology.

1971
Nall is accepted in the prestigious Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Surrounded by painters, musicians, sculptors, poets, writers and engravers, he perfected his technique. Dali convinced him to live solely from his art, and told him: Draw from life, do not be afraid, draw and go on drawing.

He considered the sketches of Ingres to be perfection of drawing, and sought to attain this level of technique. In etching, Lucien Coutand, Felix Recondo, Hans Bellmer, and Juliana Seraphim were his contemporaries. After being influenced by the Psychedelic Art of America, Fauvism and the Realism of Japanese Art, all proceeds with his works, mainly in black and white.

1974
Nall leaves for Beirut, Lebanon for a personal exposition with the theme Homage to Juliana Seraphim. This Palestinian artist noticed his talent, had visited Lebanon and Syria and shared with Nall her love for beauty and myth surrounding the Orient. His fascination with Arab architecture and geometric forms began Nalls use of collage - inspired by the idea of Byzantine decorations and his own expression with the gothic. The lectures of Hesse, Milde, Eliot, Genet, Rimbaud and Camus inspired the titles of his works. After a few years his time was divided between Europe and North America. His travels also took him to Switzerland, Spain, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and finally North Africa, which inspired many of his works.

1976
Nall moved his European base from Paris to Nice. The beaches, the views, the sounds, the smells of the old villages, were all charms which added to the fabulous climate and divine light.

1981
Nall abandons drugs and alcohol and begins the practice of Yoga and the pursuit of Eastern Spirituality. His works are composed of watercolor flowers emanating profound sentiment of nature.

1984
Needing more room for printing presses, drawing and designing, Nall bought Jean Dubuffets studio in old Venice, rechristening it The Cocoon.

1985-1989
Throughout the years, Nall made many trips to India and Mexico, especially the village of Yelapa, where he discovered the Huichole Indians, similar to those he knew in India. Here, his work with collage perfected itself into the technique combining watercolor and mosaic work.

1991
In July, Nall buys the Foundation Karoly in Vence, eight acres of wooded tranquility, to create the N.A.L.L. Art Association (Nature Art and Life League), opened to artists of all vocations - painters, sculptors, writers, composers, musicians, etc. The committee heading the association consists of personalities such as: S.A. BŽatrizd Orleans Borbon, la duchess de Bedford, Barbara Bach, Francine Pascal, Michael Desforges, Marion Ross, Michel and Catherine Pastor, Eric Blair, Ringo Starr, the One World Art Association and others.

1991-93
Nall and his wife work towards renovation of ten buildings on the site of N.A.L.L. Art Association. Simultaneously, Nall is decorating the interior of the restaurant Les Mosaiques of the Abela Hotel in Nice as well as painting the portrait of the Prince of Monaco.

1993-1994
Nall participates in a number of expositions in Monaco, London, Venice, Beirut and Paris.

1995
Nall has several exhibitions in the United States: the FAMOS Fine Arts Museum of the South, The Huntsville Museum of Art and the Goodwin Gaspar Gallery in St. Louis.

1996
In February his second book, Nall Technique and Symbol is published, written by Alain Renner, Director of Sothebys of Monaco. A signing takes place at the Grand Hotel Park of Gstaad. A Retrospective of his works takes place from March 14 until June 24 in the Museum of Menton. In October, he participated in the FIAC of Paris, at the dart Salon International Art Contemporain in nice and at a show of Naturalists Artist at the Museum of Natural History in Paris.

1997
Nall opens the N.A.L.L. Art Association. Included in the foundation is a museum that opened with a Nall art exposition. An exposition in Nice opened the same week.

1998
Nall has one man shows in Antibes, Aix-en-Provence and Paris where he presented his Porcelain by Havilland of Limoges and silverware.

1999
From January to April Nall is Artist in Residence at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where students can apprentice in his Studio on Campus. In February Nall has a retrospective at the Sarah Moody Gallery in Tuscaloosa. In March, Nall unveiled the XIII Century Cathedral of Saint-Paul de Vence, France.

2000
Nall curates an exhibit of 13 Alabama artists Alabama Art shown, during the summer of 2000, both in the Museum of the N.A.L.L. Foundation in France, and the Chateau Musee of Tourettes sur Loup. For this event Nall puts together a book Alabama Artists printed by Black Belt Press. During the year 2000 Nall has one man shows in Monte-Carlo, Principality of Monoco, Paris, France, Le Cannet France as well a group shows for Museums in Montgomery Alabama, New York, New York and Menton, France.

2001
Monty Stabler Galleries welcomes Nall and his apprentices for their first exhibition of the new year.

Nall currently resides in Vence, France; Parma, Italy; Monaco; and Alabama, USA.

Read an article about Nall in The Folk Art Messenger

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