If you have lived in Stamford for some time, you undoubtedly know that the early 20th-century sculptor Gutzon Borglum (best known as the sculptor of Mount Rushmore) lived and worked in Stamford. In 1916, Borglum built an extraordinary studio along the banks of the Rippowam River in North Stamford. Over the century, several prominent artists including Mort Walker of Beetle Bailey fame, have lived and worked on this gorgeous property.
Two years ago, in keeping with the artistic legacy, Stuart Yankell and his wife, MaryEllen Velahos, purchased the historic studio which currently houses the Yankell Legacy Gallery, where Stuart creates and exhibits his work. Yankell’s work celebrates life and the common fabric of humanity. Trained in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the University of Pennsylvania and the Frudakis Sculpture Academy, he has painted in over 20 countries and his art is displayed in galleries and museums throughout the world. He has also taught painting and art history at the university level.
For more than four decades, Yankell has painted a multitude of musical, dance, sports and nightlife forms, as well as figurative themes from a broad range of universal settings. His work combines abstraction and realism with a kinetic approach rooted in classical lighting and form. Stuart uses large brushes attached to bamboo poles, and his strokes are broad but precise. Up close, his art seems entirely abstract. But at a distance, the images crystallize and come to life. Recent collectors of his art include Dave Matthews, M. Night Shyamalan, Carlos Santana, Natalie Merchant and both Wynton and Branford Marsalis.
Why did Stuart select this Stamford location to relocate to from Philadelphia, “It’s like my Field of Dreams! That I’ve come to be the artist-in-residence of this storied place is simply magical. It’s a deeply inspiring setting for me to paint and showcase my work.”