Biography
“Art is finding one’s path to an unseen destination” — Michel Goldberg
Michel Goldberg: born in Paris, France, came to the United States in 1948 on the once glorious, then faded, French Line Ocean Liner SS De Grasse, at the age of 8. He remembers sitting in the library of the ship and while drawing, a gentleman who was passing by asked him “what are you doing young man?”, Michel answered, “I am drawing a giraffe” to which the gentleman responded as he walked away “c’est très bien, you are doing very well; you are an artist”.
The journey / path unknown had begun…
Michel lived in Brooklyn and while attending junior high school, his woodshop teacher (who unbeknownst to Michel, was a sculptor) one day noticed his unhappy mood, and asked him what was wrong? Michel told him that the school counsellor had advised him that “being an immigrant” he should not choose a college path. The woodshop teacher, infuriated by this, immediately escorted Michel to the Principal’s office and demanded that the Principal request an application for Michel to be allowed to take the highly competitive entrance exam for the High School of Music and Art. He had no idea that this exceptional school existed.
Michel’s experience at the High School of Music and Art was transformative, exposing him to an immersive curriculum of academics, music and art. Upon graduating, he was offered places at several art schools, accepting a full scholarship to Pratt Institute, where he pursued a BFA in Visual Communications and Graphic Design. His work was noticed by Will Burtin, a 20th Century international pioneer in the field of information design, who offered him a summer job before returning to Pratt for his final year.
After graduation, he continued to work for Will Burtin in graphic and exhibition design. He became a member of the faculty at Pratt Institute where he taught graphic design and visual communications, also participating in a scholarship program for gifted high school students offered by the New York City Board of Education in conjunction with Pratt Institute.
Michel moved to Clarke & Way (The Thistle Press) specialists in limited editions and fine bindings, where he was exposed to the disciplines of Monotype typesetting and Letterpress printing. He developed an appreciation for fine printing and fine papers which was formative in his development as a graphic designer.
The journey / path unknown continued…
He opened his first design studio in 1962 working on visual communications projects for a variety of clients; including, corporations, foundations, fund-raising development campaigns, trade associations, arts organizations, museums, schools and colleges.
In 1981, Michel founded Signal International, Inc. a design firm specializing in corporate identity, architectural graphics and signage. The firm worked with a major architectural firms, real estate developers, educational and cultural institutions. After closing Signal in 1992, Michel continued to work as a graphic design consultant and, in particular, valued his long relationship with the Jewish Theological Seminary of America for whom he developed many important facsimile folios of rare Judaic manuscripts from their library.
The journey / path unknown evolves…
After his many years as a graphic designer, while living in Florida for a period of time he was on the faculty of the Longboat Key Center for the Arts, a division of The Ringling College of Art and Design, where he taught printmaking and started sculpting in stone.
On returning to New York, he pursued his interest in sculpture enrolling in the welding program at the Art Students League in NYC exploring a new medium and creating a body of work in steel. He was selected on several occasions to submit proposals for a site-specific sculpture for the “Model to Monument: Public Art in Public Spaces” program in NYC.
A long-time resident of Freehold, NY, Michel now dedicates himself to his lifelong interest in drawing, printmaking and sculpture. Monotype printmaking is his principal vehicle for the visceral exploration into the mysterious world of black and white.
His drawings, monotypes and sculptures have been exhibited in various shows including at The Arts Student League, NYC and in galleries in the Hudson Valley, Alabama and Florida and in private collections.
