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Nicholas Albert Reale (20 March 1922 - 18 November 1984) was a prominent American watercolorist with a distinguished career in art and teaching. Reale’s works have been exhibited throughout the United States and Canada, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The recipient of more than 60 major awards, he is listed in “Who’s Who in American Art. “ His works are in the permanent collections of the National Academy of Design, Newark, the Jersey City Museum, and Monmouth College.

Born in Irvington, NJ, his parents emigrated from southern Italy in the early 20th century, and Reale attended Arts High School in Newark, where he eventually joined the faculty. He was directed to the Arts High School by a biology teacher in the public schools, who had noticed his exceptional sketches in the margins of his science assignments and encouraged him to transfer schools. Upon graduation Reale enrolled in the Pratt Institute of Design, Brooklyn.

World War II called Reale into service, and he served in the Navy for the entirety of the War, returning to complete his degree. Upon graduation from Pratt he became a successful commercial artist in Manhattan, married Maria Padula, his wife of 35 years, and settled in Hillside, NJ, with summers in Belmar, NJ. They had three children, who survive them: Nancy Reale Gifford-Humphreys,  Aldo Reale, and Barbara Reale, and seven grandchildren.

In 1964 Reale left the commercial art world and spent the rest of his life painting and teaching. He was an influential instructor in painting and graphic design, teaching at Seton Hall University, the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts , Somerset Art Association , Princeton Art Association , Summit Arts Center, and Morris County Art Association. He also led workshops nationally. Nicholas Reale  was an active associate member of the American Watercolor Society,  Allied Artists of America and the New Jersey Watercolor Society. The NJ Watercolor Society named him Artist of the Year in 1969. In 1981 he was named an Associate National Academician by the National Academy. Reale’s work explored and overlapped several styles and palettes, with impressionistic and abstract styles predominant; seascapes were his forte. He was influenced by the work of French impressionist and cubist Georges Braque. Nicholas Reale died suddenly and unexpectedly at age 62, during the opening days of a one-man exhibit at Gallery 9, Chatham, New Jersey. Reale's work and teaching have influenced many artists, including Alice de Caprio, the Aquamedia Group (ten women who were his students) , Beth Born , Diana Patton , Patricia Tindall and Sally Vaughan . The American Watercolor Society continues to present the Nicholas Reale Memorial Award in his honor .

Some Major Awards:


 * American Watercolor Society- The Arches Papers Award (1972); The High Winds Medal (1976),   The Doris Olsen Klep Memorial Award (1981)
 * New Jersey Watercolor Society Silver Medal of Honor awarded in 1971 (for ‘Mending nets in Nazare’) and 1982 (for ‘Homage to Henry’)