Nathalie Gribinski
CHICAGO, IL United States ![]()
I paint to surprise myself. For more than thirty years, I have explored a variety of visual languages united by a common desire: to create connections between things that seem separate. Whether working through abstraction, symbolism, or the evolvi... More
Artist Statement:
I paint to surprise myself.
For more than thirty years, I have explored a variety of visual languages united by a common desire: to create connections between things that seem separate. Whether working through abstraction, symbolism, or the evolving world of the Tourlicoulis, my paintings are driven by communication, curiosity, and discovery.
The Tourlicoulis, which originated from a word invented by my brother, have become one of the defining threads of my work. Over time they evolved into a visual vocabulary of forms, symbols, and characters that interact, communicate, and create unexpected relationships. They reflect my fascination with the way seemingly unrelated elements can come together to form something larger and more meaningful.
Color has always been one of the driving forces in my work. I am drawn to vibrant contrasts, unexpected combinations, and the energy that emerges when colors interact with one another. Color is often the first point of contact with a painting, but for me it is never decorative. It creates rhythm, harmony, movement, and emotional resonance, allowing forms to come alive and enter into conversation.
My work is often playful, yet it is rooted in depth. I have never experienced joy and sorrow, humor and vulnerability, or hope and uncertainty as opposites. They coexist, and that coexistence finds its way into my paintings. Through color, symbols, movement, and imagination, I create worlds where these different aspects of life can meet and communicate.
I rarely begin with a fixed message. Instead, I follow intuition and allow the work to reveal itself. The moments I value most are those when a painting surprises me and becomes something I could not have predicted. Those moments still feel magical and continue to inspire my desire to create.
At the heart of my work is a belief in communication, connection, and the possibility of finding harmony within contrast. Through painting, I create connections between things that seem separate and invite viewers to discover their own.
For more than thirty years, I have explored a variety of visual languages united by a common desire: to create connections between things that seem separate. Whether working through abstraction, symbolism, or the evolving world of the Tourlicoulis, my paintings are driven by communication, curiosity, and discovery.
The Tourlicoulis, which originated from a word invented by my brother, have become one of the defining threads of my work. Over time they evolved into a visual vocabulary of forms, symbols, and characters that interact, communicate, and create unexpected relationships. They reflect my fascination with the way seemingly unrelated elements can come together to form something larger and more meaningful.
Color has always been one of the driving forces in my work. I am drawn to vibrant contrasts, unexpected combinations, and the energy that emerges when colors interact with one another. Color is often the first point of contact with a painting, but for me it is never decorative. It creates rhythm, harmony, movement, and emotional resonance, allowing forms to come alive and enter into conversation.
My work is often playful, yet it is rooted in depth. I have never experienced joy and sorrow, humor and vulnerability, or hope and uncertainty as opposites. They coexist, and that coexistence finds its way into my paintings. Through color, symbols, movement, and imagination, I create worlds where these different aspects of life can meet and communicate.
I rarely begin with a fixed message. Instead, I follow intuition and allow the work to reveal itself. The moments I value most are those when a painting surprises me and becomes something I could not have predicted. Those moments still feel magical and continue to inspire my desire to create.
At the heart of my work is a belief in communication, connection, and the possibility of finding harmony within contrast. Through painting, I create connections between things that seem separate and invite viewers to discover their own.
Education:
Columbia College, Chicago, USA | 1994
B.A. of Arts
Roosevelt University, Chicago, USA | 1992
English, Continued studies in Arts
Assas University, Paris, France | 1991
B.A. of Science
B.A. of Arts
Roosevelt University, Chicago, USA | 1992
English, Continued studies in Arts
Assas University, Paris, France | 1991
B.A. of Science
Awards & Distinctions:
• TERAVARNA: "16TH Abstract" | Honorable Mention Award with "Princess with Horns" | 2026
• Circle Foundation for the Arts: Creative Excellence | 2025
• TERAVARNA: "15TH Abstract" | Honorable Mention Award with "Princess with Horns" | 2025
• Camelback Gallery: “Shades of Blue”| Finalist with “Do you want to play with me?” | 2020
• Artavita: “2020 art competition” | Finalist | 2020
• Camelback Gallery: “Bold abstracts” | Finalist with “The myst of Fire” | 2020
• Contemporary Art Gallery Online: “All Colors” | 4th place with “Summer Garden” | 2018
• Contemporary Art Gallery Online: “All abstraction” | 1st place with “Fire River” | 2018
• Camelback Gallery: “Abstract Art” | Finalist | 2018
• Circle Foundation for the Arts: Creative Excellence | 2025
• TERAVARNA: "15TH Abstract" | Honorable Mention Award with "Princess with Horns" | 2025
• Camelback Gallery: “Shades of Blue”| Finalist with “Do you want to play with me?” | 2020
• Artavita: “2020 art competition” | Finalist | 2020
• Camelback Gallery: “Bold abstracts” | Finalist with “The myst of Fire” | 2020
• Contemporary Art Gallery Online: “All Colors” | 4th place with “Summer Garden” | 2018
• Contemporary Art Gallery Online: “All abstraction” | 1st place with “Fire River” | 2018
• Camelback Gallery: “Abstract Art” | Finalist | 2018
Professional/Teaching Experience:
BIO
Nathalie Gribinski is a French-American artist based in Chicago. For more than three decades, she has developed a vibrant and highly personal body of work characterized by dynamic compositions, expressive line work, and bold color relationships.
Her paintings explore communication, connection, humor, harmony, and emotional depth through a variety of visual languages, including the Tourlicoulis, an evolving vocabulary of forms, symbols, and characters that originated from a word invented by her brother.
Born in Algiers and raised in France, Gribinski studied law in Paris before moving to Chicago, where she earned a degree in Graphic Design from Columbia College Chicago. Her work is held in private collections in the United States and Europe, including the collection of Christine Ruiz Picasso.
Nathalie Gribinski is a French-American artist based in Chicago. For more than three decades, she has developed a vibrant and highly personal body of work characterized by dynamic compositions, expressive line work, and bold color relationships.
Her paintings explore communication, connection, humor, harmony, and emotional depth through a variety of visual languages, including the Tourlicoulis, an evolving vocabulary of forms, symbols, and characters that originated from a word invented by her brother.
Born in Algiers and raised in France, Gribinski studied law in Paris before moving to Chicago, where she earned a degree in Graphic Design from Columbia College Chicago. Her work is held in private collections in the United States and Europe, including the collection of Christine Ruiz Picasso.
Exhibitions:
Solo exhibits:
• “Dances of Colors,” The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, Chicago, USA | 2024
• “Les Tourlicoulis: A 30 Years Retrospective”, Povos Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2022
• “Never Out of Shapes,” Fulton Market Kitchen, Chicago, USA | 2021
• “The Sacred Woman,” The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, Chicago, USA | 2019
• “Tourlicoulis d’Aujourd’hui,” private space, Chicago, USA | 2015
• “Ebullition Two,” State Street Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2007
• “Ebullition,” Expgallery, Chicago, USA | 2006
• “Peintures et Tourlicoulis,” La Chapelle Saint Férréol, Provence, France | 2005
• “Aventures des Tourlicoulis,” private space, Chicago, USA | 2005
Group exhibits:
• “14th Annual Juried Art Competition,” Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, USA | 2026
• “Vinoteca” Vagabond Art, Chicago, USA | 2025
• “Bloom,” Povos Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2023
• “Art and Interiors,” ALMA art and interiors, Chicago, USA | 2021
• “DressMe – Milano Fashion Week,” (virtual exhibit) M.A.D.S. Gallery Milano, Milan, Italy | 2020
• “What’s Yours Is Mine,” Columbia College, Chicago, USA | 2015
• “Time Signatures,” Coalition Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2012
• “Constructive Characters,” Coalition Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2011
• “Bright New Talent,” Coalition Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2010
• “Les flâneries d’Art dans les Jardins Aixois,” Provence, France | 2010
• “Les Tourlicoulis de France,” Gallery 1633, Chicago, USA | 2002
Juried Art Fairs
• The Other Art Fair, Saatchi, Chicago, USA | 2022
• Printer’s Row Art Fest, Amdur Production, Chicago, USA | 2022
• Gold Coast Art Fair, Amdur Production, Chicago, USA | 2022
• Barrington Art Fair, Amdur Production, Barrington, USA | 2022
• Gold Coast Virtual Art Fest, Amdur Production, Chicago, USA | 2020
• Arlington Heights Virtual Art Fest, Amdur Production, Chicago, USA | 2020
Live Art Performances
• Fulton Market Kitchen, ”A Night in Paris,” Chicago, USA | 2022
• Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, Chicago, USA | 2009
• Chicago Homeless Coalition, Chicago, USA | 2009
• “Dances of Colors,” The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, Chicago, USA | 2024
• “Les Tourlicoulis: A 30 Years Retrospective”, Povos Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2022
• “Never Out of Shapes,” Fulton Market Kitchen, Chicago, USA | 2021
• “The Sacred Woman,” The Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, Chicago, USA | 2019
• “Tourlicoulis d’Aujourd’hui,” private space, Chicago, USA | 2015
• “Ebullition Two,” State Street Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2007
• “Ebullition,” Expgallery, Chicago, USA | 2006
• “Peintures et Tourlicoulis,” La Chapelle Saint Férréol, Provence, France | 2005
• “Aventures des Tourlicoulis,” private space, Chicago, USA | 2005
Group exhibits:
• “14th Annual Juried Art Competition,” Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, USA | 2026
• “Vinoteca” Vagabond Art, Chicago, USA | 2025
• “Bloom,” Povos Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2023
• “Art and Interiors,” ALMA art and interiors, Chicago, USA | 2021
• “DressMe – Milano Fashion Week,” (virtual exhibit) M.A.D.S. Gallery Milano, Milan, Italy | 2020
• “What’s Yours Is Mine,” Columbia College, Chicago, USA | 2015
• “Time Signatures,” Coalition Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2012
• “Constructive Characters,” Coalition Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2011
• “Bright New Talent,” Coalition Gallery, Chicago, USA | 2010
• “Les flâneries d’Art dans les Jardins Aixois,” Provence, France | 2010
• “Les Tourlicoulis de France,” Gallery 1633, Chicago, USA | 2002
Juried Art Fairs
• The Other Art Fair, Saatchi, Chicago, USA | 2022
• Printer’s Row Art Fest, Amdur Production, Chicago, USA | 2022
• Gold Coast Art Fair, Amdur Production, Chicago, USA | 2022
• Barrington Art Fair, Amdur Production, Barrington, USA | 2022
• Gold Coast Virtual Art Fest, Amdur Production, Chicago, USA | 2020
• Arlington Heights Virtual Art Fest, Amdur Production, Chicago, USA | 2020
Live Art Performances
• Fulton Market Kitchen, ”A Night in Paris,” Chicago, USA | 2022
• Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare, Chicago, USA | 2009
• Chicago Homeless Coalition, Chicago, USA | 2009
Artistic Influences:
My artistic influences range from the expressive color of Van Gogh to the visual invention of Miró, the symbolic language of Klee, the structural freedom of Picasso, and the spiritual dimension of Kandinsky. I am also inspired by the light and colors of Provence, music, nature, and the rhythms of human interaction. Beyond specific influences, I am drawn to artists who create their own visual worlds and develop personal languages through which imagination, emotion, and meaning can communicate.
Artist Tags:
colorful, emotional, passionate, musical, whimsical, playful
Login or register to save your favorites
Login to save your favorites
Adding to your favorites list.