ART IN THE GARDENS 2014
GASTON LACHAISE,
Heroic Man
A pioneer of Amercian modernism, Gaston Lachaise (1882-1935) was an American sculptor of French birth. Known for his voluptuous bronze female nudes, his “Standing Woman” graced Black Mirror during the 2011-12 season. This year, we are thrilled to welcome his “Heroic Man” (1930-1934) to LongHouse. Completed shortly before his death, this monumental male nude stands more than 9 feet tall. Lachasie states “I aim to express the glorification of the human being, of the human body, of the human spirit, with all there is of daring magnificence.” We are grateful to the Lachaise Foundation for making this installation possible.
NEIL NOLAND,
Green re: Genesis/Lake Eden/Black Mountain
Respect for the environment purposed the sculpture of Neil Noland (1927 - 2013). His formal training began at Black Mountian College, NC, then, assisted by the GI Bill, he broadened his perspective at the Académie de la Grandé Chaumiére, Paris and Esquella del Bellas Artes, Madrid. Returning to the states, Noland resided in NYC and later in Amagansett where he was workshop director of Sculpture Sites. He exhibited widely and garnered numerous awards including the Pollock Krasner Foundation Award. States Helen A. Harrison, director of the Pollock-Krasner House an Study Center in East Hampton, the effect of Noland’s art is “incremental and cumulative, rewarding contemplation with the ineffable satisfaction of having achieved familiarity without sacrificing mystery.”
ALEXANDER CALDER,
Six Planes Escarpé and
Four Planes Escarpé
Alexander Calder (1898-1976), whose work is instantly recognizable today, utilized his innovative genius to profoundly change the course of modern art with the invention of wire sculpture and the mobile (a term coined by Marcel Duchamp). His artistic energy, inventiveness and master of craft led to unbridled experimentation as well as close friendships and associations with Léger, Miró, Mondrian and arp as his international reputation blossomed.
From the 1950’s onward, Calder increasingly devoted himself to making outdoor sculpture on a grand scale. The 1967 monumental stabiles Four Planes Escarpé and Six Planes Escarpé represent some of Calder’s most powerful re-imaginings of space. With steep (escarpé) planes, these monochromatic titans slice through space without occupying it, sculpting the air that surrounds them.
We thank the Calder Foundation for assistance in making this exhibition possible.
Installation of new work in the gardens is made possible in part through The Joyce and Irving Goldman Foundation, The Johnson Family Foundation, the Cowles Charitable Trust, the Vital Projects Fund, and LHR member support.
Art in the Gardens is funded in part by Suffolk County.