Christel Ibsen
Christel Ibsen, Danish by birth, resides in New York City, Normandy and Grand Cayman.
She travels between her three studios with frequent forays to all corners of the globe, painting the changing seasons.
In her forties, Christel suddenly lost her hearing.
From leading a productive, exciting but frazzled life – shuttling between Paris, New York and London – within a few years she was 95% deaf.
“And that is when I started to paint… With the silence of deafness came peace and the blissful ability to concentrate on my senses still left. “
From leading a productive, exciting but frazzled life – shuttling between Paris, New York and London – within a few years she was 95% deaf.
“And that is when I started to paint… With the silence of deafness came peace and the blissful ability to concentrate on my senses still left. “
“When painting, my time is transformed into an endless space of color and hues, and it seems as if I enfold a part of nature into myself.”
Since then, because of two cochlear implants, Christel has miraculously regained the ability to hear and to communicate through sound. “But painting remains my release, my pleasure… a vocation that found me.”
“Best known for her realistic-style portraits and almost abstract seascapes, Ibsen’s work has been compared to J.M.W. Turner and Monet for her mastery of color and the intuitiveness with which she deftly blends genres and mediums.”
– Leonard Tourné Gallery, November 2013
The Metropolitan Room, NYC, NY - Friday April 15, 2016
Click in play button
This Is Your Night!(TM) hosted by Metropolitan Room. Managing Partner Bernie Furshpan profiles a guest honoree who has contributed in some significant way to the New York City entertainment industry. Honorees include: singers, musicians, photographers, writers, directors, musical directors and producers.
The event includes a line-up of entertainment professionals who share stories, song and comedy about their experiences. It ends with a reward and grand finale.
A portion of the proceeds are given to the guest of honor’s charity of choice.
“The Metropolitan Room donated all profits from my evening to the UN Foundation, Global Action, a foundation that I am involved with. It works to stop aggression against women worldwide (rape, circumcision, burning, stoning etc). It is a cause dear to my heart and for several years all proceeds from the sale of my art books has been donated to GA. “
“No matter if portraying children or seascapes, Ibsen’s paintings carry weight by revealing the poetry of a moment, turning it into an eternal snapshot. Within the last year she started painting abstract. Inspired by her recent advocacy work, supporting a UN affiliated NGO that defends women’s rights globally she internalized the term “impunity.” ‘The impunity some men experience, while not only often breaking the law, but hurting women severely at the same time,’ she explains.”
“Motivated by just one word of grave consequence for many, she translates her feelings and insights related to the stories and destinies of thousands of disadvantaged women all over the world in her latest work, through “color hues and textures.” The new layer of gained awareness, combined with a classicist education drives her to use materials and techniques as old as 1700 B.C. “I am now using pure pigments, minerals and stone such as crushed garnet, marble dust, charcoal, and gravel. Sometimes even spices and pollen, such as peppercorn, saffron, thyme and poppy seeds.”
– April 2016 WoW Blog