Eli Karpel; Abstract Painter and Sculptor

Eli Karpel, 81, artist who created abstract paintings and bronzes. A native of New York, Karpel earned a master of fine arts degree from UCLA and taught there briefly. He taught at Pierce College in Woodland Hills for more than 25 years and was head of the art department there. Much of Karpel’s art, including his sculpted menorahs, had a Jewish theme. He had several one-man shows during his career, and his work is exhibited by the Skirball Museum, the Palm Springs Museum and the Hirschorn Collection, among others. A Times reviewer said Karpel’s bronze sculptures exhibited at Los Angeles’ Ankrum Gallery in 1972 “tend to resemble coral or roots with their complex and turgid energies.” On Jan. 20 in Los Angeles.