Jim Rennert

Downtime

2023

Edition of 8 Artist Statement: My figures speak to me of that peaceful place in myself - calm, open, aware. My art reflects the influence of my childhood in Japan and of the rigor...

bronze with silver nitrate patina Executed in 1992; this example is one of ten artist's proofs aside from the numbered edition of 25, published by Artists Space. Tom Otterness was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1952. He came to New York City in 1970 to study at the Arts Students League, and in 1973 took part in the Whitney Independent Study Program. In 1977 he became a member of Collaborative Projects, a pioneering community of independent artists, and took a leading role in organizing Colab’s 1980 Times Square Show, which was called “the first avant-garde art show of the ‘80s” by the Village Voice. Otterness is one of a handful of contemporary artists invited to design a balloon for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, for which he devised a tumbling Humpty-Dumpty in 2005. Otterness lives and works in New York. Otterness may well be “the world’s best public sculptor,” as the art critic Ken Johnson opined in the New York Times in 2002. Public art is his focus, and Otterness has had major outdoor exhibitions of his sculptures on the Park Avenue Mall in New York (2003), in more than a dozen sites in downtown Indianapolis (2005), on the grounds of the Beverly Hills city hall (2005-06) and throughout Grand Rapids, Michigan (2006). His first solo exhibition, held at Brooke Alexander Gallery in New York in 1983, featured elements of The New World (1991), a white plaster frieze...

Artist Statement: My figures speak to me of that peaceful place in myself - calm, open, aware. My art reflects the influence of my childhood in Japan and of the rigorous discipline...

My figures speak to me of that peaceful place in myself - calm, open, aware. My art reflects the influence of my childhood in Japan and of the rigorous discipline of my apprenticesh...

The optimistic bronze sculptures of Dutch artist Miep Maarse (1945) are a feast for the eyes. Dancing elephants, bathing hippos and playing bears characterize her oeuvre. The images are optimistic in tone and message. Through her images she shows us her positive view of the world and humanity. She shapes her sculptures in a professional and original way. The animals have recognizable human characteristics, which radiate great charm and tenderness. At first glance, this seems simple and charming. The opposite is true. You must have studied man and his behavior extremely well in order to make this translation. A hippopotamus - not a gentle animal at all - transforms into a friendly big lug who dances, dives or acts like an English lord. What is special is that Maarse finds her images so natural that people do not immediately realize that what they are actually doing is not possible. In ''Between the Ears'' the mother elephant with her child between her ears looks so natural and realistic and is so moving and playful. Almost casually, Miep Maarse asks the obligatory question: "How realistic is realistic?" Everyone will immediately admit that her images are not realistic. But what are they then? Surrealistic maybe? Strangely enough, it is obvious to place them in that movement, but everyone feels that something is not right. After all, with surrealism we immediately think of bizarre situations and alienation, while Miep Maarse's animal sculptures radiate something familiar and domestic. Due to the metamorphosis that her animals undergo, they enter the realm of fabulous creatures. The animal sculptures are liberating because the depicted animals have different codes of conduct than the people who imitate them. Miep Maarse received her education at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. ''La Baigneuse...

Born in Colorado and raised in Nebraska, Sandy Graves first forayed into the art world by presenting work as a child and 4-H member at local county fairs. As she continued her educat...

Born in Colorado and raised in Nebraska, Sandy Graves first forayed into the art world by presenting work as a child and 4-H member at local county fairs. As she continued her educat...

"Miroku" Bronze sculpture 12" x 10" x 8" inch Edition of 33 by Huang Yulong Miroku/弥勒佛 Whether it's a Buddha statue or just an ordinary person... the diverse cultural inspirations a...