Hans Gabali, 85, a prolific painter of murals
deb...@comcast.net
BY CARL MACGOWAN
STAFF WRITER, Newsday
January 3, 2006
Right to the end, Hans Gabali was still painting.
The man whose murals cover walls from Freeport to Montauk died early
yesterday at Huntington Hospital from complications of diabetes. He was
85.
He died shortly after completing one final sketch.
"His last painting was last night in his bed," his son, William Gabali,
of Lexington, S.C., said yesterday. "Just flowers. He still had his
artistic ability."
Over a 50-year career, the native of Hamburg, Germany, painted
thousands of murals in homes and businesses all over Long Island, his
son said. No venue was too small or too obscure: His work appears in
pizzerias, bowling alleys and parking lots, as well as restaurants,
insurance offices and marinas.
Hans Gabali also painted on canvas and bottle caps, but he was best
known for the seascapes and other marine scenes that grace the Nautical
Mile in Freeport, the Sea Basin restaurant in Rocky Point and Suburbia
Prime Meats in Merrick. An archive of his work resides at Hofstra
University. His son estimated Gabali created about 5,000 murals across
Long Island.
"And that's not including South Carolina, North Carolina and New
Jersey," William Gabali said. "He did a mural in my home. That's all he
wanted to do was paint."
Hans Gabali was born on Feb. 8, 1920, in Germany. He learned to paint
from his father, who painted seascapes. A Jew, Gabali survived the
Holocaust but left Germany in 1950 and settled in Brooklyn, bringing
his wife, Gertrude, and two of his three children. The other child,
William's twin sister, was separated from the family during the
Holocaust and her whereabouts are unknown, William Gabali said.
The family moved to Northport in 1955. "When he lived in Brooklyn he
was a house painter," his son said. "And just before we moved to
Northport, he became a mural painter.
"As far as I know, he went all the way to Montauk [to paint]. He went
all over Long Island."
In a story published in 2004 in Newsday, Gabali said he worked quickly,
completing a 300-foot mural at Freeport Marine in just 12 days.
"Usually," he said, "if you see a mural, you don't have to wonder if
it's mine."
One of Gabali's secrets was his low rates, his son said. He worked for
$250 a day, though recently he charged an extra $10 for gas.
"He could care less about getting rich," William Gabali said. "All he
wanted to do was paint and stay in Northport. He loved Long Island. I
tried to get him to move in with me because his health was declining,
but he did not want to lose his independence."
His talent wasn't limited to art.
"He was an exceptional father," his son said. "He was one of the best
men I ever ran across."
Gabali's wife died in 2000 and his daughter, Marieanne Muheller, in
1999. In addition to his son, he is survived by four grandchildren and
two great-grandchildren.
Viewing is from 7 to 9 p.m. today at Brueggemann Funeral Home, 522
Larkfield Rd., East Northport. He will be cremated tomorrow.