Art All Night: Artistic Expression of Bipolar Disorder – exhibit at the University of Pittsburgh

Since his teens, self-taught artist, Norman Klenicki, the son of two Holocaust survivors, has suffered from symptoms of what was eventually diagnosed as bipolar disorder. During manic phases, he would often paint all night to dissipate his intense energy and soothe his feelings. These experiences contributed to the title of the exhibit: Art All Night: Artistic Expression of Bipolar Disorder. This title also alludes to Klenicki’s hope that his artwork expresses the experience of his illness in visual terms where words often fail him.

In 2019, the University of Pittsburgh Center for Bioethics & Health Law created a virtual exhibition of his artwork: Experience, Integration, Expression: The Work of Norman Klenicki. The Health Sciences Library System along with the Institute for Bioethics bring this exhibit to Falk Library so that the Pitt Health Sciences community can experience Norman Klenicki’s paintings and sculptures in person.

Art All Night: Artistic Expression of Bipolar Disorder is on display from October 19, 2026 through February 19, 2027.

For more information, whom to contact, and how to visit the exhibit, go to: Art All Night: Artistic Expression of Bipolar Disorder  | HSLS

Below: Genesis, Oil paint on wood laminate (table top), 31” x 48” and Emotional Self-Portrait #2, Oil pastel on paper, 14” x 17”