New York City
Urban scenes where daily life, faith, and moral struggle coexist on New York City streets
Holy Family on a City Street - The Holy Family travels through a New York City street of brick buildings and storefronts. The composition situates the biblical figures within a modern urban setting. This work was featured in a 1947 Newsweek article.
Ascension in an Urban Courtyard - A central figure ascends within an enclosed architectural courtyard, surrounded by onlookers framed by arches, balconies, and doorways.
Figures on a City Sidewalk - Several figures lie along a New York City sidewalk, with discarded bottles scattered nearby. While the subject reflects the realities of urban poverty, Nigra avoids direct exploitation. In his oil paintings, he frequently introduces religious imagery or symbolic structure to suggest dignity, presence, and moral witness within such scenes.
Holy Family Passing Through the City - The Holy Family moves down a New York City street lined with stoops and façades, merging biblical narrative with a contemporary urban environment.
Street Scene with Dove and Crowd - An urban street scene includes a man aiming a weapon toward a dove, while a group of women gathers to the left. Elevated rail lines and dense buildings frame the composition.
Entry into the City - A robed figure rides a donkey into the city as palm branches lie across a cobblestone street. Figures line the sidewalks, forming a modern setting for a biblical procession.
City View with Black Cat - A black cat sits along a ledge overlooking a New York City street, with iron fencing, trees, and distant buildings arranged in layered perspective.
Angel Descending Through the City - An angelic figure floats downward through an urban street, framed by balconies, stairways, and surrounding architecture.
Biblical Figures at a Newsstand - A group of modern and biblical figures gathers before a city newsstand. A blonde woman stands among them, while robed figures evoke religious iconography within a contemporary street scene.
Figures with Roman Guards - Roman guards remove clothing from a man and woman in a narrow street, suggesting a biblical narrative rendered through angular, segmented forms.
Angel on a Broken Street - An angel moves through a deteriorated city street in front of a bar. Figures associated with urban nightlife and poverty populate the surrounding space.
Interior with Seated Figure and Tenements - A seated figure reads at a table within an interior space. Through the window, tenement buildings define the surrounding city environment.
Angel Presenting Objects - An angel presents a tray of objects to a seated figure within a fractured architectural interior. Stylized eyes appear in the background, integrated into the stained-glass abstraction.
Nativity in a Tenement Street - A nativity scene unfolds within a narrow urban street. Kings present gifts to the infant as tall tenement buildings rise on either side.
Adam and Eve in the City - A shamed Adam and Eve move through a city street as an angel approaches and a serpent slithers nearby. Toys are displayed in a storefront window, anchoring the scene in modern urban life.