1912

Israel Levitan is born in Lawrence Massassuttes, on June 13th. He wasthe grandson ofa Russian-Polish Rabi.

1929

He left his home to travel. He lives with the Blackfoot Indians in Montana for abouta year and becomes a blood brother toan Indian Chief and is given the name of Little Rock.

1934

Settles in Detroit, Michigan to work on the Plymouth Assembly line where he becomes interested in boxing and represents Plymouth Motors on their boxing team under the name of Jackie Myers.

1935

Wins a union-sponsored amateur Golden Gloves Welterweight Championship.

1937

While walking with a friend he saw a billboard by an artist name Petty who painted pictures of girls. "I could draw better than that." "He said." His friend dared him to go to an art school. So he did.
Afterseven years of asuccessful career in boxing, Levitan begins his art studies at the Cass Technical School in Detroit, Michigan.

1938

Continues with his art studies at the Arts and Craft School in Detroit, Michigan.
His teacher thinks his workis promising but also feels sorry for him, because heoften had a black eye or a smashed nose (from his boxing). She helped him to get a scholarship to enter the the Chicago Art Institute.

1939

Awarded a scholarship to attend the Chicago Art Institute's Summer Colony in du Bois, WY. from 1939-1941
He becomes enamored with drawing and painting.

1940

His art studies are interrupted by WW II. OnDecember, he volunteers for the U.S. Navy and is station in the South Pacific for thirty six months.

1941

While on service, he becomes interested in physical theraphy and rehabilitation, andworks as aChief Pharmacist's Mate.
He founds himself performing emergencysurgery often stitching uplarge wounds inthe absence of doctors.
Levitan perfected his sketching abilityas a necessity. He makes highly-detailed medical sketches of what he sees, one day his superiorborrowed his sketch book and thenext thing he knows is thathisdrawingsare published and used in medical journals for the USN Hospital.
Resulting from his naval training and experiences Levitan leaves the service as a Physiotherapist Technician.

1946

After the war, beginshis art studies at the Amedee Ozenfant School of Fine Arts in New York (1946-1947).

1947

Studies painting with Hans Hofmann (1947-1950) where he metshis future wife, Idee Fulkerson, who was working as a textile designerand also studding painting with Hofmann.
Levitan had concentrated on painting, but Hofmann, sensing the three-dimensional aspect of his paintings, suggested him to experiment with Sculpture and recommended Zadkine in Paris.
During the depression years, earns extra money by giving massages to fellow artists like Jackson Pollock andWillem de Kooning.

1948

Obtains a Massage Operating License from the City of New York and applies his knowledge of human anatomy and musculature to his artistic work.
Hofmann selects Levitan workfor the "Traveling Art Schools Exhibition-USA" Phillips Andober Academy, Andover, Mass.

1950

Marries Idee Fulkerson and with funds of the G.I Bill, travels to Paris to studysculpture with Ossip Zadkine.
Zadkine first assignment is to built a sculpture from alarge log, but Levitan can not afford to buy a large wood and is concerned on how to bring back the sculpture to NY., so he bought a small piece of walnut.
"You couldn't make toothpicks out of that." said Zadkine. But when Levitan's piece was finished, his teacher apologized and submitted the sculpture to Realites Nouvelles, a prestigious exhibition at the Musee d' Art Moderne.
Levitan travels around Europe to study the old masters. He isinfluenced by the art works of the sculptors Brancussi and Moore

1952

First one-man exhibitionopens at the Artists Gallery.Revisits Mexico and lives for several months in the Mohave Desert in Southern California workingon a welded metal sculpture commissioned by Merle Armitage.

1953

Solo exhibitionat the Weyhe Gallery. Elected to membership in the American Abstract Artists group.

1954

Life Magazine includes him in an Article (Jan. 25th), describing how Artist make their living other than their creative Art and travels to Nova Scotia and Long Island.

1955

Inaugurates an evening Drawing Class atCooper Union, NY, to be conducted by five guest artist and travels to Utah,California and revisits Bryce.

1956

Receives the McDowell Fellowship Award to work for six weeks at the McDowell Colony at Petersborough, NH., during his staycreates the sculpture "Serenity". In the fall, teaches sculptureat the Brooklyn Museum School, and at the St. George Community School and also at The Greenwich House School in NY. In addition he gives private lessons in Maplewood, NJ. He travels to Colorado and Long Island.

1957

Begins to exhibit at the Barone Gallery and opens withhis first one-man exhibition at the gallery.Completesa sculpture of three dancing figures in welded bronze steel rods, forSeidman & Soling's apartment lobby at 110-15 71st. Road Forrest Hills, Queens, NY (August to December). Teaches at the Cedar Lane Institute of Performing Arts in Woodmere, LI. Gives lectures and sculpture demonstration at Bernard School in New York.

1958

Gives lectures and sculpture demonstration to Grade School and then to the High School at Chappaqua, N.Y.In the summer he gives private classes in East Hamptons, Long Island. In thefallgives alecture to an Art Appreciation Classfrom Queens College in his studio.

1959

Solo exhibition at the Barone Gallery. Wins the first prize on sculpture with a Dancer's Torso made of Sycamoreat a Guild Hall Exhibition in East Hampton. HisRetrospective exhibition of indoor-outdoor Sculpture opens at the Barone Penthouse Gallery and isinvited to gives two lectures at the New York University.

1960

Solo Retrospective exhibition opens at the Barone Gallery.On TheArt News January issue, his Retrospective exhibitionwas voted "one-of-the-10-best" of 1959 bythe art news critics. Designs a 45 footsculptured ceiling for the Chapel of the Interchurch CenterNartex at 475 Riverside Drive in NY.Participates on a group onexhibition "Aspects de la Esculture Americaine" at the GallerieClaude Bernard in Paris with other artists such as Lipchitz, Nevelson and Nogushi.

1961

The United States Information Agency includes his work in an exhibition of sculpture photographs sent to the U.S office in Dacca,Pakistan. (Project-61-175)
Participates at the Seventh Annual Exhibit: American at Mid Centuryat the National Council of Jewish Woman in Orange NJ. Teaches at the University of California at Berkeley and at The Philadelphia Museum College of Art.

1963

Solo exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

1964

Solo exhibition at Grand Central Moderns in NY.

1969

Moves to Long Island.

1970

Summer Exhibition at the Benson Gallery.

1978

Solo exhibition at Artist Market Gallery in Clearwater, FL.

1982

Levitan dies at his house in Key Largo Florida.

1990

Israel Levitan: A Way With WoodRetrospective exhibition opens at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

2009

Permanent Exhibition at Copal Fine Art