Nancy Graves
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nancy Graves (1940-1995) was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and sometimes filmmaker known for her focus on natural phenomena like camels or maps of the moon.
Contents |
[edit] Early life and studies
Graves was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Her interest in art, nature, and anthropology was fostered by her father, an art director at a local museum. After graduating from Vassar College in English Literature, Graves attended Yale University, where she received her bachelor's and master's degrees. After her graduation in 1964, she received a Fulbright Scholarship and studied painting in Paris. Continuing her international travels, she then moved on to Florence. During the rest of her life, she would also travel to New York, Morocco, Germany, and Canada.
[edit] Work
Graves's most famous sculpture, Camels, was first displayed in the Whitney Museum of American Art, making her the first woman to have her own exhibition there. The sculpture features three separate camels, each made of many materials, among them burlap, wax, figerglass, and animal skin. Each camel is also painted with acrylics and oil colors to appear realistic. The camels are now stored in the National Gallery of Canada, and two later "siblings" reside in the Neue Galerie der Stadt Aachen in Germany.
Graves also created a distinctive body of aerial landscapes, mostly based on maps of the moon and similar sources. Below is a link to an example (VI Maskeyne Da Region of the Moon). Author Margret Dreikausen (1985) writes extensively of Graves's aerial works as part of a broader discussion of the aerial view and its importance in modern and contemporary art.
Some of Graves's other works include:
- Goulimine (film, 1970)
- Izy Boukir (film, 1971)
- VI Maskeyne Da Region of the Moon (lithograph, 1972) [1]
- Fragment (painting, 1977) [2]
- Wheelabout (sculpture, 1985)[3]
- Hindsight (sculpture, 1986) [4]
- Immovable Iconography (sculpture, 1990) [5]
[edit] Awards
- Skowhegan Medal for Drawing/Graphics (1980)
- New York Dance and Performance Bessie Award (1986)
- Honorary Degree, Skidmore College (1989)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Dreikausen, Margret, "Aerial Perception: The Earth as Seen from Aircraft and Spacecraft and Its Influence on Contemporary Art" (Associated University Presses: Cranbury, NJ; London, England; Mississauga, Ontario: 1985) ISBN 0879820403
- Graves, Nancy Stevenson ; E A Carmean; Fort Worth Art Museum.The Sculpture of Nancy Graves : a catalogue raisonné with essays (New York : Hudson Hills Press in association with the Fort Worth Art Museum : Distributed in the United States ... by Rizzoli International, ©1987) ISBN 0933920776; ISBN 0933920784
[edit] External links
- Nancy Graves Foundation - includes biography, images of her works, and more
- Nancy Graves - from the National Gallery of Art
- Nancy Graves - from Artcyclopedia
- "Nancy Graves: Camels, Bones and Bronze" - critical review of one of Graves's exhibitions
