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Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

American, 1927-2016

In addition to being one of America’s leading civil engineers, Robert Holmes gained considerable acclaim as a self-taught sculptor. His abstract and contemporary bronzes convey strength, grace, optimism and serenity and are reminiscent of the works of Auguste Rodin, Constantin Brâncuși, Gaston Lachaise and Henry Moore.

Holmes was born in 1927 in Missouri, where he grew up amid the Great Depression. He had an instinctive talent for design and, in his teens, helped his father build houses. Holmes later attended the University of Arizona, earning a degree in civil engineering.

In the early 1950s, Holmes moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he established the Robert Holmes Construction, Design and Development Company. He specialized in designing contemporary homes in the Bay Area before he relocated the business to Arizona in 1958.

Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Holmes was among Arizona’s most successful luxury home builders. His company also designed and built churches, banks, bridges, apartments and manufacturing plants. 

In 1981, Holmes decided to pursue a second career as a sculptor and sold his business. With his wife, Edith, he moved to the Sea Ranch, a community located north of San Francisco. Over the next several years, Holmes worked with local foundries to create his sculptures but was dissatisfied with the process. In 1989, he formed his own bronze foundry — Bronze Plus — enabling him to oversee all aspects of production and forge relationships with other bronze artists. 

Holmes’s abstract and figurative sculptures garnered attention from art critics and gallery owners across the United States. His semi-abstract and curvilinear works range from table-sized miniatures such as Pas De Tres and Dancers on Toe to large-scale monumental sculptures like The Game and Bull and Ball.

Holmes’s works have been exhibited extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia. His sculptures are in private, corporate and public collections, such as the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California, and the Hyatt Regency in San Diego. He died in 2016.

On 1stDibs, discover Robert Holmes’s dynamic sculptures.

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Artist: Robert Holmes
Tossa De Mar
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
Bronze A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-kno...
Category

2010s Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Arched Dancers 2 (Miniature) #11/40
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Solo (miniature)
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Reverse (miniature) - 24 Karat Gold plated
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Gold, Bronze

Arabesque (miniature) - 24 Karat Gold plated
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Gold, Bronze

Kneeling
By Robert Holmes
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
Edition 3 of 12, signed "R Holmes 3/12" on back edge of kneeling figure, and "Kneeling 3/12" on underside of base. Robert Holmes's sculpture has been exhibited over the past thirt...
Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

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Pas De Tres (miniature unique)
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
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Bronze

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By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

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By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
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21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Arched Dancers 2, Miniature, AP 2
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Solo, Small AP 1
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Solo, Small AP 1
H 26 in W 7 in D 6 in
Dancers on Toe AP 1
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

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By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
Bronze A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-kno...
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2010s Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

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Bronze

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Located in Napa, CA
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Robert Holmes abstract sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Robert Holmes abstract sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Robert Holmes in bronze, metal, gold and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Robert Holmes abstract sculptures, so small editions measuring 4 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Peter Millett, Sally Hepler, and Francie Hester. Robert Holmes abstract sculptures prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,000 and tops out at $39,600, while the average work can sell for $2,000.

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