The Three Natures of Antoine Gaber…
Artist, Philanthropist and Business Man.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY ( Download Biography )

In just a decade, Antoine Gaber has earned his place among the most valued painters (1) … As Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh and others, who in 1860 spearheaded modern painting then in constant struggle against the formalism of the Academic style of the time, Gaber, in 2004, appears as a revolutionary artist in successfully recreating the impressionism of the masters (2) - the inexhaustible source of inspiration behind his painterly work (3).

Born Antoine Abugaber in 1957, in Cairo, in the midst of an intellectual family, which includes actors, singers, songwriters and painters, he was, practically from infancy, charmed by the arts. At the tender age of 8, constantly fascinated by the contrasts of lights and shadows of Egypt, he developed a profound appreciation for artistic expression that he then explored by means of photography.

Humanitarian at heart, Antoine Gaber left a very promising acting career in Montreal to pursue a new career as a scientist and business man, together with photography and his ever enduring love of the arts. For some twenty years, both in Montreal and Toronto, he devoted himself to clinical cancer research - in particular, liver disease, HIV and breast cancer therapy - and gave his support to various charitable foundations. In the course of events, his creative genius has succeeded in harmoniously combining his three natures: artist, philanthropist and business man. Gaber has associated himself to the cause that for many years has been, and still is, a driving force. Several of his paintings have served as promotional images to various press kits relating to breast cancer therapy. In 2001, still motivated by philanthropic sentiments, he channelled his energies toward the creation and establishment of the Antoine Gaber Cancer Foundation, a private charitable organization committed to raising funds to finance cancer clinical trials, as well as promoting artists. Incidentally, a major portion of the proceeds realised from the sale of his paintings is injected into the Foundation.

1994 proved to be a pivotal year in his professional life when more and more he devoted himself to his artistic expression. Thus came to life the harmonious palette of a singular painter… At the beginning, he reproduced with oil medium the mystical charm of Egypt, expressing its essence through a delicate combination of light and substance. With a very unique brushwork, which became his signature, he explored the ephemeral beauty of the space occupied by nature and captured with overwhelming sensitivity the changing expression of its manifestations. Self-taught, Antoine Gaber developed layering techniques and color mixtures typical of his work. In his paintings, influenced by impressionism, his intrinsic ability to create "contrasts, color hues, rhythmical dynamics of light and shadow has remained indubitably one of his greatest strengths" (4). With its magical variegations, his lyrical work offers us a universe of inner peace and tranquility; a remarkable work composed of bucolic landscapes where open meadows carpeted with flowers and ponds strewed with water lilies joyfully unfold; idyllic landscapes that inevitably elevate us to the profound level of emotion that galvanizes Antoine Gaber into a creative expression.

In December 2003, invited as an artist by the International Scientific Committee of Critics, Gaber represented Canada and displayed his works at one of the most prestigious European exhibition, the Florence Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea, during which he received the prestigious prize "Lorenzo il Magnifico" in recognition of his artistic career (5). In all his endeavours, Antoine Gaber has benefited from the extraordinary support from government officials and patronage of influential people.

From exhibition to exhibition, continent to continent, around the globe, the artist, the philanthropist and the business man continuously play a role in the advancement of art and science. In an incessant desire for harmony, Antoine Gaber, his artistic works, his humanitarian projects and his incommensurable dreams of communion with man and nature contribute in unison to the working of his straightforward mission: utilizing his talent to benefit a good cause. Neither success nor notoriety can deter the painter from his ideals!

Nora Atalla, Author and Journalist.
Kingsey Falls, Québec, Canada,

September 15th, 2004.

 

 

 

 

1. "(…) his paintings' value has increased at an annual compound rate of 38%. Not bad considering the S&P 500 has returned on average 7% per year over that time" (from 1997 to 2003). Scott Adams, journalist at the Financial Post, Saturday, December 27Th, 2003.
2. "Antoine Gaber is revisiting the impressionists with a fresh eye and his own sensibility." Quotation from Professor John T. Spike, Director of the Florence Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea, Critic and Art Historian (New York).
3. "La musicalidad de las pinturas de Gaber es indudable y es el motor que permite al pintor recrear el impresionismo y no copiarlo. " Antonio Mazzarro, Philosopher and Art Professor.
4. Translated quotation from Professor Matty Roca, Critic, Art Historian (Mexico), and also member of the International Art Critic Association (AICA).
5 Awarded by Professor Pasquale Celona, President of the Florence Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea.