Neal Elias

Neal Elias (1921-2005) was a pioneering American origami artist who revolutionized the art of paper folding through his innovative techniques and complex designs. His origami creative period spanned from 1951 to 1973, during which he transformed the landscape of Western origami with groundbreaking methods that continue to influence artists today.

Elias is most renowned for developing and popularizing the technique now known as box pleating, a method which has become synonymous with complex folding. This revolutionary approach involved creating grid patterns on paper and using geometric principles to achieve intricate, three-dimensional forms that were previously thought impossible.

His journey into origami began through his early interest in magic and card tricks. Paper folding first caught his eye in Harry Houdini’s book Paper Magic, and he later discovered Murray and Rigney’s “Fun with Paperfolding,” which truly ignited his passion for the art form.

As a prolific creator, Elias designed numerous iconic models including the famous “Last Waltz”, which is in fact the eighth and final version of a dancing couple. This model has become an enduring origami favorite, enchanting both folders and non-folders with its charm and elegance. His other notable creations include “Boy on a Motor Scooter”, “Llopio’s Moment of Truth” featuring a matador and bull, and various multi-figure compositions from single sheets of paper.

Neal met very few paper folders during his lifetime and never attended an origami convention in the modern sense. However, he became an avid correspondent with the early Western origami community, exchanging ideas with pioneers like Sam Randlett, Robert Harbin, Eric Kenneway, and Ligia Montoya.

His legacy extends beyond individual models. He took to diagramming his own and origami models received in correspondence in notebooks intended for his personal future reference. These notebooks, containing over 1,100 diagrammed designs, have become an invaluable historical record of origami’s development during the 1960s and 70s.