Joe Raffaele was born in 1933 in Brooklyn. His mostly solitary childhood, during which he came close to death from meningitis, saw him develop a strong interest in drawing. Raffaele’s mother died when he was quite young, and death and isolation are constant themes in his artistic practice. Raffaele studied first at the Cooper Union in New York and received his BFA from the Yale School of Fine Arts in 1956. In 1958–59 he travelled and painted in Italy on a Fulbright scholarship.
Raffaele created the series of lithographs Boy touching man touching upper lip at Gemini GEL in 1976. The prints demonstrate his precise drawing skills and address the theme of isolation.
Emilie Owens
1933
Born in Brooklyn, New York
1951-54
Attends the School of Art at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Art and Science, Manhattan, New York
1954
Receives Summer Fellowship and attends the Yale University Summer School of Music and Art, Norfolk, Connecticut
1954-56
Studies at the Yale University School of Art, New Haven, Conneticut, and receives Bachelor of Fine Arts
1958-59
Receives Fulbright Fellowship to study in Florence and Rome, Italy
1958
First solo exhibition, Kanegis Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
1959
Solo exhibition of works made during the Fulbright Fellowship, Galleria Numero, Florence
1960
Receives Louis C Tiffany Prize
1966
Teaches at University of California, Davis
1967-69
Teaches at School of Visual Arts, New York
1967
Completes the edition of one hundred lithographs titled Boy touching man touching upper lip at Gemini GEL, Los Angeles Changes name from Joe Raffaele to Joseph Raffael
1969
Teaches at University of California, Berkeley Included in exhibitions: Painting and sculpture today: 1969, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana; Paintings from the photo, Riverside Museum, Riverside, New York
1969-73
Teaches at California State University, Sacramento
1972
Joins Nancy Hoffman’s new gallery in New York. Hoffman continues to represent Raffael to this day.
1974
Receives first prize, Tokyo International Biennial, Tokyo, Japan
1975
Receives Purchase Prize, Concours d’Antiques, Oakland Museum, California Produces, Island Magic, series of lithographs at the Tamarind Institute, Albuquerque
1976
Included in travelling exhibition, America 1976, organised by the United States Department of the Interior, Washington, DC
1976-78
Included in travelling exhibition, Illusion and Reality, organised by the Australian Gallery Director’s Council, in association with the Visual Arts Board and the Australian National Gallery (now the National Gallery of Australia). The exhibition was shown in major state galleries across Australia.
1978
Solo exhibition, John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California
1978-79
Travelling retrospective exhibition, Joseph Raffael – the California years, 1969 –1978, originating at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
1985-86
Solo exhibition, Watercolors by Joseph Raffael, Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, Wyoming
1989
Included in exhibition, The natural image, Stamford Museum & Nature Center, Stamford, Connecticut
1995-96
Included in exhibition, Collector’s Show, Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock
1998
Included in exhibition, Contemporary color: work on paper, Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, New Jersey
1998-99
Solo exhibition at Canton Museum of Art, Canton, Ohio
Joseph Raffael currently lives and works in Antibes, France
© Tyler Graphics Ltd; revised Emilie Owens, 2007
This chronology provides an overview of selected biographical information, major solo and group exhibitions held within the artist's own lifetime.
