Nicholas Zann

• Born 1943-06-07 · Died 2020-07-16

Nicholas Zann was a true New Yorker, born 1943 and died 2020 in New York City. His career spanned six decades and covered a multifaceted terrain, including painting, illustration and music. In 1956, a painting submitted to and exhibited at Lever House led to a scholarship to attend Pratt Institute; Zann went from there in 1958 to the High School of Industrial Arts, which became known as High School of Art and Design in 1961, the year he graduated. From 1957-1965, Zann fronted a rock'n'roll band with which he recorded and toured internationally, but in 1965, inspired by a commission for ABC's Les Crane Show (1964), he turned to pursuing fine art full time. While starting a professional career in illustration, he continued his fine art studies at the School of Visual Arts, guided by Jack Potter and Burne Hogarth.