Mark di Suvero
Marco Polo "Mark" di Suvero is an American abstract expressionist sculptor.
Life
He was born Marco Polo Levi in Shanghai, China in 1933 to Italian expatriates. He immigrated to San Francisco, California in 1942 with his family. From 1953 to 1957, he attended the University of California, Berkeley to study Philosophy. He later moved to New York City where he was surrounded by an explosion of Abstract Expressionism. While working in construction, he was critically injured in a freight elevator accident and focused all his attention on sculpture.
While in rehabilitation, he learned to work with an arc welder. His early works were large outdoor pieces that incorporated railroad ties, tires, scrap metal and structural steel. This exploration has transformed over time into a focus on I-beams and heavy gauge metal. Many of the pieces contain sections that are allowed to swing and rotate giving the overall forms a considerable degree of motion. He prides himself on his hands-on approach to the fabrication and installation of his work.
di Suvero was a founding member of the Park Place Gallery [1] and ConStruct, both artist-owned galleries, the former was the first SoHo Contemporary art gallery and the latter promoted and organized large-scale sculpture exhibitions throughout the United States. Other founding members include John Raymond Henry, Kenneth Snelson, Lyman Kipp and Charles Ginnever.
His distinctive, large bold pieces can be found all over the world. He continues to be the subject of multiple exhibitions and his commitment to emerging artists is undeniable through the Athena Foundation and the Socrates Sculpture Park. di Suvero has received the Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center and, in 2005, the 11th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities for his commitment to aspiring artists.
di Suvero currently lives in New York City with his second wife and daughter. He has three working studios, since 1981 in Long Island City, a former brickyard on the edge of the East River in Long Island ,an open air fabrication facility in Petaluma California, which he developed in partnership with first wife from 1975 to 1988 as the third studio on a river barge in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, since 1972.
He most recently published a book, titled Dreambook, a compilation of pictures of sculptures, poems, and ideas. The vibrant colors in it are reflected in the bright colors he always wears.
Education/Distinctions
- 1933 Born Shanghai, China
- 1942 Immigrated to USA
- 1953-54 San Francisco City College
- 1954-55 University of California, Santa Barbara
- 1957 University of California, Berkeley, B.A. Philosophy
- 1972 Chalon Sur Saone's barge studio
- 1975 Develops Petaluma's studio
- 1977 Starts Athena Foundation
- 1985 Establishes Socrates Sculpture Park
- 2000 International Sculpture Center Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2005 Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities
- 2010 National Medal of Arts
Sculptures in public collections and public spaces
United States
California
- Prison Dream, 1961, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
- Spud, 1967, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
- Teha, 1971, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
- Crochet, 1974, Gersh, Phillip & Beatrice, Los Angeles
- Homage to Charlie Parker, 1975, Oakland Museum, Oakland
- Pre-Natal Memories, 1976, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
- Ol' One Tooth, 1978, Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs
- Sea Change, 1978, South Beach Park, Pier 40, San Francisco
- Isis, 1978, North Harbor Drive & Laurel Street, San Diego
- Miwok, 1981, Center for Clinical Sciences at Stanford University, Palo Alto
- Ferro, 1982, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
- Shoshone, 1982, 444 S. Flower, Los Angeles
- Yi!, 1983–86, Runnymede Sculpture Farm, Woodside
- For Veronica, 1987, di Rosa Winery, Napa
- Whale's Cry, 1987, Clos Pegase Winery, Calistoga
- Gandy dancer's Dream, 1987–88, Getty Center, Los Angeles
- Symbiosis, 1989, Runnymede Sculpture Farm, Woodside
- The Sieve of Eratosthenes, 1999, Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Palo Alto
- Pax Jerusalem, 1999, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco[2]
- Voxel 2000, 2000, Venice Beach
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
- The A Train, 1965, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
- Are Years What? (for Marianne Moore), 1967, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
- Homage to Martin Luther King, 1968, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
- Aurora, 1993, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Washington
Florida
- Bojangles, 1966–67, Martin Z. Margulies Sculpture Park, Florida International University, Miami
- Untitled, 1967, Federal Reserve Bank - Miami Branch, Miami
- Untitled, 1977, Martin Z. Margulies Sculpture Park, Florida International University, Miami
- Gnarly, 2008, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami
- Oolam-pali, 2008, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami
Hawaii
Illinois
- No Title for Sure, 1968, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
- Prairie Chimes, 1969, Governors State University, University Park
- Yes! For Lady Day, 1969, Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, University Park
- Choopy, 2007, Merchandise Mart, Chicago
Indiana
- Snowplow, 1968, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis
- Han, 1979, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne
- Keepers of the Fire, 1980, Century Center, South Bend
- Helmholtz, 1985, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne
Iowa
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
- Nantucket
- NJT, 1960, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge
- Untitled, 1972, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton
- Sunflowers for Vincent, 1983, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln
- Huru, 1984, Arts on the Point Sculpture Park, Boston
- Aesop's Fables, II, 2005, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge
- Sunflowers for Vincent, 2011, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Boston
Michigan
- Tom, 1959, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
- Motu Viget, 1977, Gerald R Ford Federal Building, Grand Rapids
- Pablo's Legacy, 1980, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
- For Mother Teresa, 1998, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills
- Scarlatti, 2000, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
- For Ben Webster, 2001, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
- Orion, 2007, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor
Minnesota
- Stuyvesant's Eye, 1965, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
- Inner Search, 1980, Norwest Operations Center, Minneapolis
- Arikidea, 1982, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
- Molecule, 1983, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
- Gorky's Pillow, 1987, Franconia Sculpture Park, Franconia
Missouri
- Praise for Elohim Adomnai, 1966, Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis
- Bornibus, 1973, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
- Beppe, 1978–95, University of Missouri–St. Louis (on loan from Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis)
- Tumbleweed, 1985–87, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
- Rumi, 1991, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
- Old Buddy (for Rosko), 1993–95, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
- Destino, 2003, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New York
- Hankchampion, 1960, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
- Ladderpiece, 1962, Museum of Modern Art, New York
- New York Dawn (for Lorca), 1965, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
- One O'Klock, 1968–69, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor
- Mother Peace, 1970, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- For Roebling, 1971, Museum of Modern Art, New York
- For Gonzalez, 1973, Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Mon Père, Mon Père, 1975, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- Jive, 1977, Pratt Institute Sculpture Park, Brooklyn
- Mahatma, 1978–79, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- Exclamation, 1980–81, Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Mozart's Birthday, 1989, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- For Chris, 1991, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- Caramba, 1994, Riggio, Leonard, Bridgehampton
- For Euler, 1997, Salem Art Works, Salem
- Cubo Arcane, 1997, Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Joie de Vivre, 1998, Zuccotti Park, Manhattan
- Pyramidian, 1998, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- Chonk On, 2002, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- Frogs Legs, 2002, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- Jambalaya, 2002–06, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- Beethoven's Quartet, 2003, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
- Double Tetrahedron, 2004, Salem Art Works, Salem
North Carolina
- To Be, 1996, ]]Weatherspoon Art Museum]], Greensboro
Ohio
- Tock, 1971, Weston, Harris & Alice, Cincinnati
- Atman, 1979, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati
- Eagle Wheel, 1979, Akron Museum of Art, Akron
- Blubber, 1980, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo
- For Kepler, 1995, Miami University Art Museum, Oxford
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
- Ave, 1973, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas
- First European Variable Sculpture, 1973, Janie C. Lee Gallery, Houston
- In the Bushes, 1975, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
- Bygones, 1976, Menil Collection, Houston
- Pranath Yama, 1978, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
- Untitled, 1980, Buhsnami Sculpture Garden, Burton
- For F.B. Yeats, 1987, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
- Eviva Amore, 2001, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
- Ulalu, 2001, Bayfront Arts and Science Park, Corpus Christi
- Proverb, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Hall, Dallas
- Ad Astra, 2005, NorthPark Center Mall, Dallas
- Clock Knot, 2008, University of Texas, Austin
Washington
- Hand, 1962, Restricted Owner, Seattle
- Bunyon's Chess, 1965, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle
- Charles, Merrill, Robin, Bing, 1967, Restricted Owner, Seattle
- For Handel, 1975, Western Washington University, Bellingham
- Scissors, 1976, Restricted Owner, Bellevue
- Mindseye, 1978, Western Washington University, Bellingham
- The Answer, Jon and Mary Shirley, Medina
- Schubert Sonata, 1992, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle
Wisconsin
- Poland, 1968, The Bradley Family Foundation Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee
- Lover, 1973, The Bradley Family Foundation Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee
- The Calling, 1982, Bluff Park, Milwaukee
International
Australia
Canada
France
- Etoile Polaire, 1973, Museum of Grenoble, Grenoble
- Extase, 1991, Technopôle Brest-Iroise site, Brest
- Etoile du Jour, 1991, Quai André-Citroën, Paris
- Vivaldi, 1993, La Ville de Valence, Valence
- Place of the Invalids, 1997, La ville Chalon-sur-Saône
Germany
- L'Allume, 1992, Bonn
- Spring Rain, 1992, Technoseum, Mannheim
- New Star, 1992, Viersen sculpture collection
- Racine du Naos, 1996, Skulpturen Park Köln, Cologne
- Galileo, 1996, DaimlerChrysler Collection, Potsdamer Platz, Berlin
Netherlands
Spain
- Homage to Brancusi, 1962, Museu d´Art Contemporani de Barcelona - MACBA, Barcelona
Sweden
United Kingdom
References
External links
Persondata |
Name |
Suvero, Mark di |
Alternative names |
|
Short description |
sculptor |
Date of birth |
1933 |
Place of birth |
Shanghai, China |
Date of death |
|
Place of death |
|