Bruce Schnabel
Bruce Schnabel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1951. Schnabel first studied at Temple University in Philadelphia (1969-1970). He then attended the California College of Arts and Crafts and the University of California, Berkeley and then was an apprentice to hand bookbinders in the US and England. 1976 brought him to the Center for Book Arts where he taught and showcased his work in three different shows. Schnabel was invited to the Center for Book Arts to head up their new apprenticeship program at the time. He also taught bookbinding at the Otis College of Design in Los Angeles in addition to conserving and restoring rare books for various institutions.
Schnabel moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and began to focus on narrative sculpture instead of book arts. Around this time, Schnabel changed his name to Simon Toparovsky which is the name he still goes by today. Since his move to Los Angeles, Toparovsky has worked with a wide variety of media to create a range of public and private pieces. Some of his works were acquired for collections in the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Getty Center, churches, and more spaces including international locations. Simon Toparovsky currently lives in Los Angeles, California where he continues to produce art.
A portion of this bio was taken from The Book exhibition catalogue.
More about Bruce Schnabel:
Bruce Schnabel’s work was exhibited in:
Center for Book Arts: The First Decade
an exhibition at The New York Public Library
Less is More
limited edition and unique bookworks
The Book
seven artists/different visions
Book Makers
Center for Book Arts first five years
