BETHLEHEM, PA.- Group exhibition featuring works by Simon Gaon, a founder of the Street Painters, New York City, with Rhodesian-born British painter Alex Zwarenstein, international contemporary sculptor Masaaki Noda, and Michael Wilkinson, a pre-eminent figurative sculptor working with clear acrylic and bronze at eDavid Gallery, 535 Main Street, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The exhibit opens with a reception Friday, October 19, 6 to 9 p.m. and runs through Sunday, November 18.

Gaon, born in New York City is noted for lively streetscapes, particularly Times Square painted with electrified palette and expressionistic verve. In 1972, Gaon and several others formed the Subjectivist Gallery in New York, but it closed due to high rents. In 1977, he and Phillip Sherrod, founded the Street Painters, a group of artists who painted directly from city life they observed on the streets of New York. He studied at the Art Student's League and in 1966 won the Edward G McDowell traveling scholarship.

Solo exhibitions for Gaon include: Peter Findlay Gallery, New York, Galleri Rubens, Smedjebacken, Sweden, Galerie Rose, Hamburg, Germany, Galerie Peter Fischinger, Stuttgart, Germany, Susan Conway Gallery, Washington, D.C., Galerie des Ambassadeurs, Paris, France, Art Students League, New York City. Gaon has exhibited in numerous group shows, and his works are in private and public collections worldwide.

Alex Zwarenstein, a British citizen born in 1952 in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) received his Masters Degree in painting from London's prestigious Royal Academy of Art, where he was a recipient of several awards including a William Turner Traveling Scholarship. Accomplished in various mediums including oil, gouache and watercolor, Zwarenstein's subject matters dramatically from intimate figurative works to bold urban landscapes.

Zwarenstein was awarded the Royal Academy Gold Medal, and his works are in the Museum of the City of New York, The New York Stock Exchange, The National Arts Gallery of Zimbabwe, The London City Council, and in the collections of the CEO of the Hearst Corporation, The President of Hitachi, the CEO of Shell Oil, the Chairman of Squibb pharmaceuticals, Sir Freddy Laker, and the managing editor of Forbes. He teaches painting and perspective at the National Academy of Design, New York.

Masaaki Noda was born in Japan in 1949, and for the past 20 years has been living in New York City's Soho district. His works, including large-scale installations, are found in museums, private collections and outdoor spaces worldwide.

Noda first traveled to Delphi, Greece, in 1995 with New York/Athens art dealer Takis Efstathiou. A dream was launched then to place a spiritual sculpture overlooking the hills and valleys of Delphi. The installation and dedication of the full scale work entitled “Apollo’s Mirror” became a reality in the ancient city of Delphi on February 26, 2005.

Michael Wilkinson is trained as an architect and is recognized for classic, romantic realism as a leading figurative sculptor working with clear acrylic. Wilkinson’s work is in the collections of thousands of private and corporate collections worldwide, as he has created a body of work known for its unique beauty and universal appeal.

Says Wilkinson who has studied and worked internationally, “I am an architect by training and I have always been fascinated by the surroundings people live in – their worlds. The interior of an acrylic is a light-filled world that makes it possible for me to tell stories in space and time; in which my figures come alive. For more information, contact eDavid Gallery at 610-814-0369 or visit www.edavidgallery.com.