Nature’s Song: New Work by Michael Klein

Born in North Dakota, Klein began his formal training at the age of nineteen under the mentorship of Richard Whitney, a prominent New Hampshire portraitist and student of R. H. Ives Gammell of the Boston School. Klein subsequently studied at the former Atelier Lack in Minneapolis, founded by Richard Lack, whose leadership was instrumental in reviving academic painting in America. Eager to deepen his education, Klein moved east to New York, where he enrolled at the Art Students League and studied under Nelson Shanks, one of the era’s foremost figurative painters. His education culminated in a formative apprenticeship at the Water Street Atelier (now Grand Central Atelier), studying under Jacob Collins from 2002 to 2005.

Staying faithful to the realist tradition, Klein has become widely known for his floral still life paintings, which recall the sensitivity and refinement of Fantin-Latour and Édouard Manet. His broader body of work includes portraiture and figurative compositions, most notably NYC Entrepreneur, which received the Grand Prize at the 2016 Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition.

Klein is a vocal advocate for public access to masterworks of contemporary realism. Through his leadership at NSMA, he works to ensure that exemplary works by living artists are not only preserved but actively engaged with by audiences. “If the public doesn’t get access to study up-close some of the incredible contemporary works being done,” he maintains, “they will never fully understand what is happening.”

Beyond his own painting practice, Klein is deeply committed to mentoring artists, fostering community, and promoting connoisseurship among collectors. He believes that appreciating art demands both emotional connection and critical insight: “It’s just as essential to know about what makes a work of art successful as it is to simply love it.”

Through his career as an artist, teacher, and curator, Michael Klein continues to shape the dialogue around contemporary realism, ensuring its relevance and vitality for future generations.