Part 1: The Early Years  |  Part 2: The Worst of Times  |  Part 3: The Best of Times
Part 4: Coming To America  |  Part 5: Ivan Opens Art Studio
Part 6: Ivan's Collapse - The Final Chapter

Part 5 - Ivan Opens Art Studio

	Barbizon-Plaza Exhibition Catalog 1955
	Newspaper Ad

In 1954, Ivan joined the Art Talents Association of Philadelphia, and his painting, Letter, was exhibited in New York City at the Barbizon-Plaza Art Gallery at 106 Central Park South from May 8 through May 20 of 1954. With his career success and his popularity on the rise, Ivan continued to paint.

Soon, he opened his own art studio/gallery in Philadelphia at 530 West Girard Avenue on April 23, 1955. Two weeks later on May 5, 1955 an article in the Philadelphia Midtown Crier reported that several more of his paintings were accepted for exhibition at Barbizon-Plaza in New York.

Featured news articles regarding his works started to appear in local papers in the Philadelphia area.  In time, Ivan moved his studio/gallery to 989 North 6th Street where he continued to flourish.  He was living his American dream and was certain that great success awaited him. He believed that fame was inevitable. Unfortunately and unknown to him, Ivan exercised poor judgment in choosing the location of his new art studio.

On February 16, 1962, as he was walking along the Philadelphia streets, Ivan was beaten and robbed. All of his money and his personal belongings was stolen - an omen of things yet to come. In spite of the mugging which affected his emotional state and contributed to his deplorable living conditions, his faith remained undaunted in pursuit of his share of the American dream.

By April 5, 1962, he had saved enough money to place a down payment of five hundred dollars on his own house at 1238 North 5th Street. Although this was a joyous occasion for him, it proved to be another bad mistake for Ivan.  The neighborhood in which he had invested his hard-earned money was not a good neighborhood. As the neighborhood continued to decay, Ivan kept working for Newman Galleries, but his personal habitat became one of squalor, constant vandalism and urban deterioration.

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