Jose de Creeft

José de Creeft
José de Creeft
Born	1884 Guadalajara, Spain
Died	1982
Nationality	American
Field	Sculpture

José de Creeft (1884, Guadalajara, Spain – 1982, New York, United States) was a Spanish-born American sculptor and teacher.

Life and work

José De Creeft began the study of sculpture in his native Spain in 1896, and in 1905 he moved to Paris, France, where he continued his study of sculpture at the Académie Julian. At that time, all sculptors worked in clay, and had the finished piece either cast in bronze in a foundry or had the piece carved in stone at a carving studio.^[1]

In 1915, he broke with that tradition and began carving in stone. He was among the first sculptors of his time re-introduce the practice of direct carving in stone and wood; and, in 1929, he brought that practice with him to the United States. He taught sculpture for many years at the Art Students League in New York City, and later in his own sculpture studio in the Chelsea section of the city. Although his interest remained direct carving in stone and wood, throughout his life he continued to also produce work modeled in clay and cast in bronze, including the well known Alice in Wonderland sculpture in New York City's Central park.^[2]

In 1940, he became a United States citizen. He married the sculptor Lorrie Goulet^[3] who currently teaches Stone carving at the League. In 1948 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full Academician in 1964. De Creeft had many one man shows in New York City and around the world. In 1960, he had a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and in 1983 he had major exhibition at the National Gallery of Art.

Gallery

• 

  Poet, 1956

• 

  Continuite, 1958.

• 

  Statue of Alice in Central Park, 1959

See also

• List of American artists

Notes and references

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to José de Creeft.

• De Creeft at the Smithsonian American Art Museum
• De Creeft, at Wichita State University
• De Creeft at Levis Fine Art, 20th Century Modern Masters