Helen Sturges Nadler Shares Her Late Husband’s Life and Legacy

Tiverton resident Helen Sturges Nadler paused when she begin talking about her late husband Harry Nadler’s life and career as she sat in on Sunday in Tiverton Four Corners surrounded by her late husband’s legacy.

Sunday's discussion included thoughts on Nadler's painting “Nocturnal Odalisque," one of three “Homage to Ingres” paintings exhibited at the Louvre, Paris in 1971.

Mr. Nadler's list of accomplishments is almost as extensive as his series of artwork and includes being a husband, father, artist, scholar and teacher. His artwork is still revered by many, and the gracious reception Helen received was testament to that fact.

Nadler’s artistic expression went through a myriad of changes and varieties throughout his career. One of his first series was titled “Description Without Place.” It was a healthy combination of geometric shapes with a personal touch, abstract and representational.

“He always enjoyed geometry and different shapes,” said Helen.

He was born in Los Angeles in 1930, graduated high school at age 16 and immediately went to work as a newspaper illustrator to help his single mother with the bills. Eventually, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and received bachelors and masters degrees in fine arts. In 1960, Nadler received a full scholarship to Spain to study "The Disasters of War" by printmater Francisco Goya. Inspired by those paintings, Nadler went on to create a series of paintings about the Holocaust, a topic close to his heart.

Harry Nadler moved to New York in 1966 and got a job at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. It was at Wesleyan where he met Helen, a student at the time. Nadler then got a job offer from the University of New Mexico. Helen followed Nadler to New Mexico and they married in 1972. For the next 20 years, the couple split their time between both coasts.

Helen is not entirely sure how his work came to be in showcased in the Louvre. All she knows is, during one of Nadler’s trips to Paris, he brought her back a Christian Dior scarf, not a bad souvenir. She imagines that transaction came as a result of one of his New York shows.

When Nadler moved to New Mexico, he became interested in abstract art, said Helen. He created a series called “The Wait," which was all done in abstract. He found himself absorbed in light and color.

In the 1980s, Nadler became interested in the “golden mean” which is an equation that puts everything in perfect proportion. He started creating works based on Kabbalah, the name applied to the whole range of mystical activity. The Nadler’s visited Jerusalem in 1987 and after that he began painting religious and spiritual themes. He passed away in 1990.

“He liked geometry with a felt," Helen said. "He enjoyed spiritual ideas."

Bob Smith, owner of Gallery 4, said he saw some of the Nadler’s work in their home and expressed interest in showcasing it in the gallery. The exhibit runs until Nov. 20.