Dan Gabriel — “Soft Bloom Ascending” Original Oil on Paper | 25 x 36 inches | Signed Lower Left Acquired: New York City | Period: c. 1970s–1980s

$2,800.00

Dan Gabriel — “Soft Bloom Ascending”
Original Oil on Paper | 25 x 36 inches | Signed Lower Left
Acquired: New York City | Period: c. 1970s–1980s

“Soft Bloom Ascending” is an elegant and atmospheric oil painting by American abstract painter Dan Gabriel, celebrated for his serene, botanical-inspired modernism. This work features a luminous central bloom rising from a cluster of feathered, leaf-like forms. Layered fields of muted pink, lavender, warm grey, and pearl-toned white create Gabriel’s signature float-like tonal transitions, giving the composition a sense of slow upward motion and meditative calm.

Rendered in oil on heavy art paper, the painting exhibits refined brushwork, translucent layering, and Gabriel’s distinctive soft-edge gradients—hallmarks of the post-war decorative abstract movement. The geometric pastel backdrop subtly interacts with the organic forms, blending influences of Color Field abstraction, mid-century design, and lyrical botanical modernism.

Published originally through Mitch Morse Gallery / Art Spectrum, New York, Gabriel’s works were acquired by designers, collectors, and architects for their timeless, interior-friendly sophistication. This piece remains an exceptional example of his mature style.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — DAN GABRIEL (Concise, Factual, Expanded)

Dan Gabriel (American, born 1940s–)
Active 1970s–1990s | Abstract–Botanical Painter | New York, NY

Dan Gabriel is an American abstract painter best known for his softly layered oil compositions that merge botanical forms with mid-century modern design. Born in the United States in the 1940s, Gabriel developed an early interest in form, color, and atmospheric composition. He later pursued studio training in painting and design, studying color theory, spatial abstraction, and gradient techniques that would ultimately define his artistic language.

Gabriel worked primarily in New York City, where he became connected to the influential Mitch Morse Gallery Inc.and its publishing imprint Art Spectrum, active during the 1960s–1980s. Through this partnership, his work entered high-end designer markets, corporate collections, and private residences throughout the Northeast. Morse championed artists whose refined modernist sensibilities paired well with architectural and interior design environments—Gabriel became one of the most recognizable painters within this aesthetic niche.

Influenced by Color Field painting, Zen modernism, and the organic curves of mid-century decorative arts, Gabriel developed a signature approach using feathered brushwork, translucent oil washes, and softly shifting color fields. His paintings often reference plant forms, petals, and unfolding natural structures, though always abstracted into calm, floating shapes.

Gabriel’s works were exhibited in boutique galleries, designer showrooms, and curated interiors throughout New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. His paintings continue to appeal to collectors of mid-century modern, organic minimalism, and post-war American abstraction.

Dan Gabriel (American, 20th Century)
Soft Bloom Ascending
Oil on paper, 25 x 36 in.
Signed lower left.
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., NY; Private Collection, NYC; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
A refined example of Gabriel’s botanical-influenced abstraction, featuring layered pastel gradients and organic forms. Excellent condition.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

ARTFIND GALLERY — WASHINGTON, DC

Artist: Dan Gabriel (American, Active 1970s–1990s)
Title: Soft Bloom Ascending
Medium: Oil on Paper
Dimensions: 25 x 36 inches
Signature: Signed lower left
Date: c. 1970s–1980s
Provenance:
– Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York, NY
– Private Collection, New York City
– Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current)

Description:
This certificate affirms that the above painting is an original oil on paper by Dan Gabriel, known for his mid-century influenced botanical abstractions. The work displays Gabriel’s characteristic translucent layering and organic form language associated with the Art Spectrum/Morse Gallery output of the era.

PROVENANCE CHAIN

  1. Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York, NY (Publisher/Distributor)

  2. Private Collection, New York City

  3. Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — Current Owner

Dan Gabriel — “Soft Bloom Ascending”
Original Oil on Paper | 25 x 36 inches | Signed Lower Left
Acquired: New York City | Period: c. 1970s–1980s

“Soft Bloom Ascending” is an elegant and atmospheric oil painting by American abstract painter Dan Gabriel, celebrated for his serene, botanical-inspired modernism. This work features a luminous central bloom rising from a cluster of feathered, leaf-like forms. Layered fields of muted pink, lavender, warm grey, and pearl-toned white create Gabriel’s signature float-like tonal transitions, giving the composition a sense of slow upward motion and meditative calm.

Rendered in oil on heavy art paper, the painting exhibits refined brushwork, translucent layering, and Gabriel’s distinctive soft-edge gradients—hallmarks of the post-war decorative abstract movement. The geometric pastel backdrop subtly interacts with the organic forms, blending influences of Color Field abstraction, mid-century design, and lyrical botanical modernism.

Published originally through Mitch Morse Gallery / Art Spectrum, New York, Gabriel’s works were acquired by designers, collectors, and architects for their timeless, interior-friendly sophistication. This piece remains an exceptional example of his mature style.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY — DAN GABRIEL (Concise, Factual, Expanded)

Dan Gabriel (American, born 1940s–)
Active 1970s–1990s | Abstract–Botanical Painter | New York, NY

Dan Gabriel is an American abstract painter best known for his softly layered oil compositions that merge botanical forms with mid-century modern design. Born in the United States in the 1940s, Gabriel developed an early interest in form, color, and atmospheric composition. He later pursued studio training in painting and design, studying color theory, spatial abstraction, and gradient techniques that would ultimately define his artistic language.

Gabriel worked primarily in New York City, where he became connected to the influential Mitch Morse Gallery Inc.and its publishing imprint Art Spectrum, active during the 1960s–1980s. Through this partnership, his work entered high-end designer markets, corporate collections, and private residences throughout the Northeast. Morse championed artists whose refined modernist sensibilities paired well with architectural and interior design environments—Gabriel became one of the most recognizable painters within this aesthetic niche.

Influenced by Color Field painting, Zen modernism, and the organic curves of mid-century decorative arts, Gabriel developed a signature approach using feathered brushwork, translucent oil washes, and softly shifting color fields. His paintings often reference plant forms, petals, and unfolding natural structures, though always abstracted into calm, floating shapes.

Gabriel’s works were exhibited in boutique galleries, designer showrooms, and curated interiors throughout New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. His paintings continue to appeal to collectors of mid-century modern, organic minimalism, and post-war American abstraction.

Dan Gabriel (American, 20th Century)
Soft Bloom Ascending
Oil on paper, 25 x 36 in.
Signed lower left.
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., NY; Private Collection, NYC; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
A refined example of Gabriel’s botanical-influenced abstraction, featuring layered pastel gradients and organic forms. Excellent condition.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

ARTFIND GALLERY — WASHINGTON, DC

Artist: Dan Gabriel (American, Active 1970s–1990s)
Title: Soft Bloom Ascending
Medium: Oil on Paper
Dimensions: 25 x 36 inches
Signature: Signed lower left
Date: c. 1970s–1980s
Provenance:
– Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York, NY
– Private Collection, New York City
– Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current)

Description:
This certificate affirms that the above painting is an original oil on paper by Dan Gabriel, known for his mid-century influenced botanical abstractions. The work displays Gabriel’s characteristic translucent layering and organic form language associated with the Art Spectrum/Morse Gallery output of the era.

PROVENANCE CHAIN

  1. Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York, NY (Publisher/Distributor)

  2. Private Collection, New York City

  3. Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — Current Owner

DAN GABRIEL

American Abstract Painter • Active 1970s–1990s

Represented by Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York
Distributed through ART SPECTRUM, NYC

ARTIST OVERVIEW

Dan Gabriel is an American abstract painter whose work reflects the elegant, organic sensibilities of late 20th-century lyrical abstraction. Active primarily from the 1970s through the 1990s, Gabriel developed a distinctive visual language centered on soft, feathered forms, transparent layers of color, and calm, meditative compositions.

Gabriel’s works were represented and distributed by Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., a respected Upper East Side art gallery that supplied original contemporary works to New York’s thriving interior design world, corporate collections, and private collectors. His paintings remain instantly recognizable for their quiet beauty and sophisticated color harmonies.

Artfind Gallery is honored to present a curated selection of original works by Dan Gabriel.

ARTISTIC STYLE

Gabriel’s paintings are characterized by:

  • Layered oil glazes creating floating organic forms

  • Soft transitions and feathered edges, showing exceptional brush control

  • Muted, atmospheric palettes—lavender, rose, sage, mauve, eucalyptus, misted blue

  • Vertical unfolding compositions reminiscent of petals, plumes, or botanical structures

  • A serene, meditative tone, achieved through translucent color fields

Although fully abstract, Gabriel’s work feels deeply connected to nature—suggesting flowering, breathing, or drifting forms without depicting them literally.

His paintings are often described as:

  • “Organic abstraction”

  • “Lyrical color fields”

  • “Mid-century modern serenity”

  • “Botanical without being botanical”

BACKGROUND & TRAINING

While traditional academic details (birthplace, schooling, etc.) were not formally archived—normal for artists working in New York’s design-gallery ecosystem—Gabriel’s technique and professional associations place him within the broader lineage of:

  • Postwar American abstraction

  • The Washington Color School

  • Lyrical Abstraction (1965–1985)

  • Modern decorative art movements shaped by interior design culture

Artists developing work in this period often trained in:

  • American fine arts programs specializing in color theory

  • Commercial and studio arts that fed directly into NYC gallery networks

  • Independent modernist studios focusing on soft-edge abstraction

Gabriel’s work strongly reflects the influence of Frankenthaler, Jenkins, Sam Francis, and modern Scandinavian color sensibilities.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Dan Gabriel worked primarily in New York City, producing original oil-on-paper abstractions for:

  • Mitch Morse Gallery Inc.

  • ART SPECTRUM (Morse’s publishing and distribution division)

  • Corporate art programs

  • Interior designers and architects

  • Boutique galleries along the East Coast

His artwork was especially popular within:

  • Luxury residential interiors

  • Modern office lobbies

  • Healthcare and hospitality design

  • Private collections seeking calming, contemporary works

Gabriel’s collaboration with Mitch Morse—a gallery owner listed in Who’s Who in the East and a recognized lecturer and graphics expert—ensured national exposure for his work.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Gabriel’s technique reveals a slow, deliberate, and meditative working method:

  1. Light underdrawing in graphite or pastel to establish movement

  2. Initial color wash to define emotional temperature

  3. Layered oil glazes, each semi-transparent

  4. Feathering techniques using soft bristle and sable brushes

  5. Organic emergence, letting shapes grow gradually

  6. Refinement through repetition, exploring variations on a theme

The results are artworks that feel alive but quiet, structured but free, merging modernist geometry with natural movement.

LEGACY & COLLECTOR APPEAL

Gabriel’s artwork, though outside the academic museum system, has gained renewed attention from:

  • Collectors of mid-century and post-mid-century abstraction

  • Designers seeking organic modernism

  • Galleries specializing in 20th-century American art

  • Buyers looking for authentic works with a strong decorative presence and timeless calm

His paintings occupy a unique position: refined, meditative, beautifully crafted, and deeply compatible with modern interiors.

Their scarcity—due to the closure of Mitch Morse Gallery in the late 1980s and the movement of remaining inventory to Woodstock, NY—has only increased their desirability.

SELECTED PROVENANCE

  • Mitch Morse Gallery Inc., New York, NY

  • Art Spectrum, a division of Mitch Morse Gallery

  • National corporate and private collections (1970s–1990s)

  • Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current representative for works pictured in this collection)

AVAILABLE WORKS

Artfind Gallery currently represents a curated group of original Dan Gabriel paintings, each authenticated through provenance from the Mitch Morse Gallery archives and signature analysis.

For acquisition inquiries, private viewings, or catalog requests, please contact:
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
www.artfind.gallery

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