Norman LeBeau

Family-Placed Obituary

NORMAN leBEAU Norman leBeau, 78, of West Palm Beach, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 22, 2008 doing what he loved to do, spending his summer sculpting in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Born in Brooklyn to Lillian and Murray Leibow, Norman married semi-professional opera singer, Ruth Antelis of the Bronx in the early 1950's. A true Bohemian, Norman loved life and 'attacked every day as if it were his last', from bicycling throughout Europe, skiing the Swiss Alps and hot air ballooning in Africa. Norman's love of people was equal to his fascination for animals, plants and art. Norman leBeau had been immersed in visual arts for all of his life. He started painting at the age of eight and, as a youth, was a student at the Pratt Institute and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. As a young man he graduated from New York University and studied art at L'Academie de Grande Chaumier in Paris. While in France, an American tourist loved Norman's work. The American tourist, as leBeau and his friend later discovered, was the actor Vincent Price who purchased two of Norman's paintings. Deciding that very few artists make a living, Norman apprenticed himself to a master jeweler, returned home to New York and enrolled at Columbia University for a graduate degree in philosophy. A jeweler by day, and a graduate student by night. A self made success in the jewelry trade, Mr. leBeau custom designed, manufactured and sold his work for forty years in Manhattan at LeBeau Jewelers and at Boris-LeBeau in Palm Beach and Chevy Chase. Norman opened his first store, 'leBeau Jewelers' in 1954 in New York City, and in 1964, moved his business to Madison Avenue. Drawing on his artistic talents and working in precious metals and gems, he crafted commissioned pieces of miniature art, winning numerous jewelry competitions from the International Pearl Association of the United States and Japan and DeBeers Diamond International Awards. In his retirement, Norman channeled his creative skills to sculpting and taking classes at the Palm Beach Armory Art Center and in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Working predominantly in bronze and terra cotta, leBeau spoke very highly of Armory instructors, considering them 'some of the best teachers in the world.' Working in all sizes Norman said his larger scale bronze pieces gave him 'more freedom of movement' and for Norman, more freedom of expression. Mr. leBeau assigned personality to all of his figures and believed that each piece of sculpture must have a life of its own, capturing motion and, frequently, humor. Mr. leBeau's award winning art was recognized by the Art Students League in New York, the Lake Worth Art League, Lighthouse Gallery Show, Artists' Guild of the Palm Beaches, the Armory Art Center and the Boca Museum of Art and has been exhibited in more than 16 galleries. Amongst others, his works are in the private collections of the late Robert Montgomery, Nelson Rockefeller, Baron Phillipe de Rothschild, Barbara Walters, and Lauren Bacall. Pieces of Norman's sculpture have been donated to the Adam Walsh Foundation, New Horizon Service Dogs, Armory Art Center, The Arthur R. Marshall Foundation, Palm Beach Society of the Deaf and the Society of the Four Arts Ð Children's Library. To view his collection of work please visit www.normanlebeau.com Norman is survived by his only son, Brad Mason leBeau of New York (bmlebeau @aol.com), his long time love, Brooke Dale, and her son Jason Dale, his wife Kelly, their daughter Mikayla, and her daughter Stacy King, her husband Stephen and their daughter Alaina of Canton, GA, and Norman's life-long friends Bill Silfin, Nikki Cohen, and Lucille Chayt. In Mr. leBeau's own words 'people die when you stop thinking about them' and a Celebration of Norman's life will be held on Thursday, November 6 from 3:00pm to 7:00pm at the family residence: 303 Marlborough Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33405. Donations in Norman's memory may be sent to The Armory Art Center, 1700 Parker Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 (561-832-1776) or at www.armoryart.org. To sign Norman's guest book, please visit ____ (the paper provides a website) To express condolences and/or make donations Visit PalmBeachPost.com/obituaries