Leland Bell was a self-taught painter whose passion for the discipline of painting has inspired and influenced many.
In the early years of his career these included Karl Knaths, Jean Arp, and Piet Mondrian.
[1] In the mid-1940s his allegiance to abstract painting receded after he formed a friendship with Jean Hélion, and Bell subsequently became a champion of Hélion, Fernand Léger, Balthus, Alberto Giacometti, and André Derain.
[4] In 1944 he married the painter Louisa Matthíasdóttir (1917–2000), whose figurative style influenced his work.
[5] In contrast to Matthíasdóttir, who worked quickly, Bell labored over his paintings, sometimes for years.