Karl Stephan Retrospective at the Nave

Nave Gallery announces “KSx20: Persistence of Light,” a 20-year retrospective of the work of Karl Stephan, will open March 19. Stephan has worked in relative obscurity, seeking and sharing joy in art-making. From suburban surrealism to the new expansive color music, his work celebrates the persistence of light.

Born on a U.S. Navy base in Port Lyautey (now Kenitra) Morocco, Somerville artist/educator Karl Stephan grew up in Washington D.C., Honolulu and the New York City suburbs. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Guilford College, Stephan spent more than 25 years in technology sales. Stephan returned to painting in the wake of the terror attacks of 2001. He completed a Masters in Art Education at Tufts and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in 2015, and curated the well-regarded Wall to Wall mini-series of exhibits on community and collaboration at Nave Gallery in 2016 and 2017. Stephan now paints and teaches in his Cambridge studio, at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and in various other settings. Stephan and his wife Megan have two adult sons.

See the Nave Gallery for more details.