Fred Mandell Biography

1942: Born, Brooklyn, New York

1947: Moved to Malverne on Long Island

1948: Marvelled at my younger sister falling asleep while drawing. She was three years old. She was a female Picasso. I picked up a crayon, jabbed awkwardly at the paper. Recoiled at the unrecognizable markings. Next day, picked up a baseball instead.

1950: Took a piano lesson; ran out of the house.
1952: Watched a TV program about Hitler. Smashed the TV tube with a baseball bat.

1954: Read The Gadfly by E.L. Voynich. Decided I wanted to be a revolutionary. Got Bar Mitzvah-ed instead.

1955: Mrs. Kelly gave me an “unsatisfactory” in art. She made me wear my chewing gum on my nose the entire day.

1956: On numerous Saturdays, made peanut butter and jelly sandwich and put 30 cents in my pocket. Hitchhiked to Jamaica then took the subway (15 cents) into the city and spent the day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Couldn’t comprehend what I saw. Only knew I had to be there. Ate sandwich on steps. Took subway to Jamaica and hitchhiked home.

1960-64: Took many art history classes in college. Toyed with the idea of majoring in art history.

1969: Painted a self portrait and a portrait of Karen, my wife to be. I came out looking dark and threatening. Karen appears innocent and perplexed.

1972: Received Ph.D. in American Intellectual History.

1973: Earned a Master’s degree in counseling psychology.

1975: Son Jacob Chanon was born.

1978: Ongoing furtive attempts at sketching on my own. Words came easier than brush strokes. Wrote and published numerous short stories and a novel, The Mourning Road..

1979: Near fatal auto accident. Jaws of Life used to extract me. Seven months to recuperate.

1980: Daughter Hinda Bess was born.

1980: Joined IDS Financial Services (now American Express Financial Advisors) as an advisor in Boston.

1981: Became a district manager.

1983: Daughter Rebecca Yonina was born.

1985: Promoted to Division Vice President.

1993: Promoted to head of a $3.5 billion investment company in Minneapolis (American Express still.)
1994: Became head of marketing for 10,000 financial advisors.

1995: Stuff roiling around inside me. Enrolled in sculpture workshop.

2000: Responsible for figuring out how to globalize the advice model for American Express.

2001: Retired from corporate life (before I retired from basketball!) and had first one person show at Ford Center Gallery, Minneapolis.

2001: Moved back to Boston area (Needham.) Shifted emphasis from sculpture to drawing and painting.