Neil Folberg

Artist’s Statement
"Come look, and I will show you where heaven and earth kiss..."
-from Bava Batra
Biography
Neil Folberg is a native of San Francisco, born in 1950. At the age of 16 he began his studies in photography with Ansel Adams. As a student at the University of California, Berkeley he also studied with photographer William Garnett. He received a special grant from the university to pursue a photographic field study in Yugoslav Macedonia for his undergraduate degree. In 1975 he was married and together with his wife moved to Israel in 1976. Around that time, he began to make a series of photographs in the vast Sinai wilderness, later expanding this project to deserts of Israel, Egypt and Jordan. The images show the spiritual landscape heritage common to the countries of the Middle East. This resulted in his first book, “In a Desert Land” which was published by Abbeville Press, NY in 1985. In 1992 he was commissioned by the Aperture Foundation in New York for a four-year book project to photograph historic synagogues of the world. He researched the subject and wrote one of the texts that accompanies the book made from these images, “And I Shall Dwell Among Them: Historic Synagogues of the World.” Aperture produced the book which was published in 1997 along with a portfolio of twelve prints. Aperture also traveled the exhibition worldwide. Folberg then returned to landscape and B&W with his series “Celestial Nights”, published in 2001 by Aperture Press, NY, along with a portfolio of prints. “Celestial Nights” depicts a delicately constructed order where earthly elements and the heavens mirror each other in an awesome spectacle of the sky. This exhibition also traveled worldwide under the auspices of Aperture. From 2002 until 2005 he worked on a project in France that resulted in the publication by Abbeville Press, NY titled “Travels with Van Gogh and the Impressionists.” The work was exhibited at several galleries and at Paris Photo. Abbeville Press published his book “Serpent’s Chronicle” in 2013. His most recent publication is “Taking Measure” (2017) a large-format limited edition book that was self-published. His latest book, "A Mirror in Macedonia" from Lecturis Editions in the Netherlands was released in early 2021. He resides in Israel in a small village in the Upper Galilee and runs Vision Neil Folberg Gallery in Jerusalem. His work is found in major museum collections.
Awards
MAJOR COLLECTIONS & PUBLICATIONS
Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris
Canadian Centre for Architecture, Toronto
Center for Creative Photography, Tucson, AZ.
Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York
George Eastman House, Rochester, N.Y.
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Ludwig Museum, Cologne
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg
Museum of Art, St. Louis, Mo.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego
Musée Niépce, Chalon-sur-Saone, France
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Michael Hoffman Collection
Preus Fotomuseum, Horten, Norway
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Jose Museum of Art
Smart Museum of Art, Chicago
Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Tel-Aviv Museum
Yale University Museum of Art
MAJOR PUBLICATIONS
2021 A Mirror in Macedonia, Lecturis Editions, Netherlands
2018 TAKING MEASURE, limited edition artist’s book
2013 Serpent's Chronicle
Abbeville Press, New York
2007 Travels with Van Gogh and the Impressionists
With Lin Arison, Abbeville Press, New York
Celestial Nights: Visions of an Ancient Land
Abbeville Press, New York (newly published under Abbeville label)
2002 Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50
Celestial Nights: Visions of an Ancient Land
Aperture Press, New York
WINNER OF NEW YORK BOOK SHOW PRIZE, FIRST PLACE PHOTOGRAPHY, 2002
Accompanied by an Aperture traveling exhibition
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: Historic Synagogues of the World
Aperture Press, New York 2nd Hardbound Edition & Softcover Editions
In a Desert Land: Photographs of Israel, Egypt and Jordan
Abbeville Press, New York 2nd Edition
1995 And I Shall Dwell Among Them: Historic Synagogues of the World
Aperture Press, New York
Publication accompanied by a portfolio and travelling exhibition
WINNER OF NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD 1996
1987 In a Desert Land: Photographs of Israel, Egypt and Jordan Abbeville Press, New York
1986 The Walls of the Old City of Jerusalem (portfolio)
1984 Sinai, Adam Publishers, Jerusalem
1975 We Are Thy People, Bet-Alpha Press, Berkeley, Ca.
Exhibitions
Neil Folberg CV
Expositions/Exhibitions (*Solo/+scheduled)

2021 Photo London, London+
2020 Awaken After A Long Dream, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto+
Contact, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto
2019 Traversing East, Obscura Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Group 10 Photographers, Nikola Rukaj Gallery, Toronto
2018 Abstractions, Scott Nichols Gallery, San Francisco
Taking Measure, Holden Luntz Gallery, Palm Beach*
2017 Taking Measure, Flomenhaft Gallery, New York* 2015 Celestial Nights*, The Dryansky Gallery, San Francisco
2013 Serpent's Chronicle*
Reuven Rubin Museum, Tel-Aviv
2012 Topography/Time/Israel,
Flomenhaft Gallery, New York*
At Night, Holden Luntz Gallery, Palm Beach
2011 Arcadia Revisited, Holden Luntz Gallery, Palm Beach
Celestial Nights. Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY*
2010 Serpent's Chronicle, Flomenhaft Gallery, New York*
Paysage 2, Galerie Jean Greset, Besançon, France
2009 Through a Painter's Lens: Paintings influence on Contemporary Photography
Holden Luntz Gallery, Palm Beach
Cosmos, Galerie Jean Greset, Besançon, France
2008 First Doubt: Optical Confusion in Modern Photography
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven
Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
Yeshiva University Museum, New York
2007 Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
Hammond Art Gallery, Fitchburg State College, Fitchburg, MA
Women Painters, Painted Women: A group exhibition Vietnam/Israel
National Museum of Fine Arts, Hanoi
Traversing the Cosmos: Photographs by Folberg, NASA, Malin and Subaru Telescope (including Celestial Nights, the Aperture traveling exhibition)
Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, Japan
Contemporary Israeli Photography at the Ordover Gallery at the
San Diego Museum of Natural History in conjunction with
Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition
Neil Folberg,Odyssey*
Flomenhaft Gallery, New York
Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
Miller Jewish Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
Museum of the Southwest, Midland, TX

2006 The Impressionists' Salon*
Holden Luntz Gallery, Palm Beach, Florida
Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50
Museum of Fine Arts of St. Petersburg
St.Petersburg, Florida
Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50
Fort Wayne Museum of Art
Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50
Dayton Art Institute
Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
Gershman Y Galleries, The Borowsky and Open Lens Galleries
Philadelphia, PA

2005 Galerie Zéro l'infini, Kunst 05, Zurich
Manet, Morisot and Friends*
Flomenhaft Gallery, New York
Celestial Nights*
Pikto Gallery, Toronto
Camera Sacra
Israel Museum, Jerusalem

2004 Paris Photo, Galerie Zéro l’infini*
Prochaine Station Cosmos, Hotel de Sponeck, L'Allan scéne nationale par le19, centre régional d'art contemporain
Montbéliard, France
Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At The Skirball Museum, Los Angeles
Site Seeing: Photographic Excursions in Tourism
George Eastman House, Rochester, NY

2003 Michael Hoffman Memorial Exhibition,
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At The Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Neil Folberg selected works, Ra’anana Municipal Art Gallery, Israel*

2002 Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition *
At the Groningen Nature Museum
in co-operation with Noorderlicht Photo Festival, Groningen, Holland
Photography Past/Forward: Aperture at 50, New York
New Work, New Directions, LA County Museum of Art
Celestial Nights Candace Perich Gallery, Katonah, N.Y.*
Celestial Nights: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At La Galerie Photographies du Montpellier, France
Celestial Nights Klotz/Sirmon Gallery, New York*

2001 Celestial Nights Vision Gallery, Jerusalem*

2000 The Best of Aperture, Aperture's Burden Gallery, New York
The Holy Land Revealed, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
100 Years of Photography in Eretz Israel. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Celestial Nights , Galerie Mistral, Montreal*
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At Galerie Fiolet, Winterswijk, Holland
Celestial Nights , Fine Gallery, Atlanta JCC, Atlanta*
Celestial Nights , Scott Nichols Gallery, San Francisco*
Celestial Nights , Carol Ehlers Gallery, Chicago*
1999 Celestial Nights , Alan Klotz/Photocollect Gallery, New York*
1998 Scott Nichols Gallery, San Francisco*
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At Spertus Museum, Chicago
1997 And I Shall Dwell Among Them: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At Ziff Jewish Museum of Florida, Miami Beach
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At Mizel Museum of Judaica, Denver
1996 Ansel Adams Gallery, Pebble Beach, Ca.*
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At Jewish Museum, Camden, London
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At Municipal Archives, Krefeld, Germany
1995 And I Shall Dwell Among Them: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At Aperture's Burden Gallery, New York
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: Vision Gallery, San Francisco*
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: Peter Fetterman Gallery, Santa Monica, Ca.*
And I Shall Dwell Among Them: An Aperture Traveling Exhibition*
At De Beyerd Museum of Contemporary Art, Breda, Netherlands
1992 Museum of Photography at Tel-Hai, Kiryat Shemona, Israel*
University Art Gallery, University of the Negev, Beersheva*
Northlight Gallery, Arizona State Univ., Tempe*
Silver Light Gallery, Seattle, WA.*
1991 Vision Gallery, San Francisco, Ca.*
St. Louis University Museum of Art, St. Louis, Mo.*
1990 Musée Niépce, Chalon-sur-Saone, France*
1989 Vision Gallery, San Francisco, Ca.*
1988 Afterimage Gallery, Dallas, Texas*
1987 Vision Gallery, San Francisco, Ca.*
Ledel Gallery, New York*
1986 University of the Pacific, Ca. (with Brett Weston)
Martin Schweig Gallery, St. Louis, Mo.*
1985 George Eastman House, Rochester, N.Y.*
California State University, Hayward, Ca.*
The Photography Gallery, La Jolla, Ca.*
Vision Gallery, San Francisco, Ca.*
1984 Susan Spiritus Gallery, Newport Beach, Ca.*
Vision Gallery, San Francisco, Ca.*
1983 Martin Schweig Gallery, St. Louis, Mo.*
Stephen White Gallery, Los Angeles, Ca.*
1982 Here and Now, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Santa Ana College Art Gallery, Santa Ana, Ca.*
Galerie Fiolet, Amsterdam*
1981 Hillel Gallery, Jerusalem*
Photo Gallery International, Tokyo*
1980 Vision Gallery, San Francisco, Ca.*
Camera Obscura Gallery, Stockholm*
Kathleen Ewing Gallery, Washington, D.C.*
1979 Fresno Art Center, Fresno, Ca.*
American Cultural Centers, Jerusalem & Tel-Aviv*
Punkt Gallery, Copenhagen*
1976 Martin Schweig Gallery, St. Louis, Mo.*
1974 American Cultural Center, Skopje, Yugoslavia*
The Lowie Museum, Berkeley, Ca.*
1973 The Studio Gallery, Berkeley, Ca.*
1972 Martin Schweig Gallery, St. Louis, Mo.*