Illustration of girl sitting in chair holding child and dog sitting on carpet.
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Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for Elisabeth (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Collection of the artist. © 1997 Claire A. Nivola.

Claire A. Nivola : Artist & Storyteller

April 22 - November 5, 2023
Central Gallery

This exhibition showcases the career of artist-author Claire A. Nivola. Nivola’s subjects range from the personal—stories of her family—to chronicles of prominent women like poet Emily Dickinson, author Emma Lazarus, oceanographer Sylvia Earle, and Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai. As an artist, Nivola combines exquisite color, complex patterning, and attention to detail, all on an intimate scale. She builds her landscapes with delicate, dappled brushstrokes and fills her interior scenes—often viewed through doorways and windows—with endless details that keep readers engaged. In the guise of paintings-within-paintings, Nivola includes art historical references to Piero della Francesca, Henri Matisse, and others in her illustrations. 

Curated by H. Nichols B. Clark.

What to Expect 

The exhibition comprises 60 watercolor, gouache, and graphite illustrations from nine picture books, as well as a selection of preliminary materials that underscore Nivola’s intense research and process. Guests are invited to make still life drawings inspired by objects found in Nivola’s illustrations. 

Illustration of countryside.
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Collection of the artist. © 2008 Claire A. Nivola.
Exhibition Highlights
Illsutration of well-dressed people in library.
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty by Linda Glaser (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Collection of the artist. © 2010 Claire A. Nivola.
Illustration of girl in blue dress with nana.
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for The Friday Nights of Nana by Amy Hest (Candlewick). Collection of the artist. © 2001 Claire A. Nivola.
Illustration of mouse in window
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for The Mouse of Amherst by Elizabeth Spires (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Collection of the artist. © 1999 Claire A. Nivola.
Illustration of mouse and girl at desk.
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for The Mouse of Amherst by Elizabeth Spires (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Collection of the artist. © 1999 Claire A. Nivola.
Illustration of woman and children lying in grass.
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for Star Child (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Collection of the artist. © 2014 Claire A. Nivola.
Illustration of child looking into night sky.
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for Star Child (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Collection of the artist. © 2014 Claire A. Nivola.
Illustration of red tile buildings.
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for Orani: My Father's Village (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Collection of the artist. © 2011 Claire A. Nivola.
Illustration of scuba diver in reef.
Claire A. Nivola, Illustration for Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Collection of the artist. © 2012 Claire A. Nivola.

Featured Artists

Photograph of the artist.

Claire A. Nivola

The daughter of artists, Claire A. Nivola drew incessantly as a child and developed exceptional facility. Her subjects range from the personal—stories of her family—to the chronicles of such prominent women as poet Emily Dickinson, author Emma Lazarus, and Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai. She has illustrated 18 books. Photograph by Jan Cannon.

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