Skip to main content

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.

to
6
5
1
Overall Height
to
Overall Width
to
4
1
1
5
9
240
100
92
83
6
6
2
Artist: Robert Holmes
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

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

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

Related Items
French Pop Art Heavy Bronze Sculpture Chess Game Gambit Arman Accumulation
By Arman
Located in Surfside, FL
Arman, French American (1928-2005) Gambit (Chess pieces) Cast Bronze Sculpture with patina Incised signature near lower edge, 48/70 with impressed "Bronze Romain & Fils" foundry ma...
Category

Early 2000s Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Black and Gold Gingko by Kuno Vollet Contemporary Bronze sculpture on granite
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Grey Bronze Gingko with 8 leaves sculpture four or three of them in gold leaf - arrangement of gold leaves can be chosen by client. Base can be chosen be...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Gold, Bronze

Mexican Art Abstract Brutalist Biomorphic Bronze Sculpture Mathias Goeritz
By Mathias Goeritz
Located in Surfside, FL
Mathias Goeritz (German Mexican, 1915-1990) Bronze sculpture Signed and numbered Dimensions: (approximate) Height: 10 inches, Width: 4 inches, Depth: 2 inches. This is a cast bronze sculpture in an amorphous figure shape, quite heavy. Reminiscent of the biomorphic sculpture of Hans Jean Arp. This came from an estate and bears his signature It is not dated. there is no accompanying documentation. it is priced accordingly. Werner Mathias Goeritz Brunner (Danzig, Germany, April 4th, 1915/ now Gdansk, Poland – Mexico City, Mexico; August 4th, 1990). Mathias Goeritz has had several gallery and museum exhibitions, including at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and at the Museo Experimental El Eco. Numerous works by the artist have been sold at auction, including 'MENSAJE' sold at Sotheby's New York 'Latin American Modern Art' in 2015 for $466,000. There have been Several articles about Mathias Goeritz, including 'LACMA remaps Latin America' written by Suzanne Muchnic for the Los Angeles Times. Painter, sculptor and Mexican architect associated with the trend of constructive abstraction. He studied medicine at the University of Berlin, but this only lasted a year. The concerns of the young student were aesthetic in nature so he he studied figurative drawing at the Berlin Charlottenburg School of Art. Some of his friends and colleagues were the sculptor Ernst Barlach, painter George Grosz and draughtsman Kaethe Kollwitz. Goeritz studied philosophy and history of art, discipline in which earned a doctorate. He travelled in France, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Austria and Italy, among other countries. It is known that he left Germany to live in Tetuan, Morocco in 1941 and then Granada, Spain in 1945. In 1946 he had a large exhibition in the Sala Clan in Madrid under the pseudonym "Mago". Two years later, living in Santilla del Mar, Spain he was a founder of the Escuela de Altamira. The following year he married Marianne Gast, writer and his companion for more than fifteen years. In Spain followed his artistic work by important artists of the avant-garde. Of Jewish descent, he found refuge from the Second World War in Mexico where in 1949 he was invited by Ignacio Diaz Morales to be a part of the faculty of the School of Architecture at the Universidad de Jalisco. In 1953 he wrote the "Manifiesto de la Arquitectura Emocional" (The Emotional Architecture Manifesto), where he points out that only achieving true emotions from architecture can it then be considered an art form. In Mexico he entered controversy with the artistic stablishment of that country; in an open letter, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros described him as "an impostor without the most insignificant talent and preparation" to be an artist. Despite this, in 1957 he was elected director of visual design of the National School of architecture This same year he founded the Museo del Eco in Mexico City. In 1961 Goeritz participated at the Galería Antonio Souza in a group exhibition, Los hartos, for which he published another manifesto. Other participants included Jose Luis Cuevas and Pedro Friedeberg, with whom he was instrumental in establishing abstraction and other modern trends in Mexico.His work is included in the Gelman Collection of modern and contemporary Mexican art based in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Established by Jacques and Natasha Gelman in 1943 as a private collection. it includes many iconic works by major Mexican Modernists including Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Leonora Carrington, Rufino Tamayo and Francisco Toledo, Lola Alvarez...
Category

20th Century Modern Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Magnificent Italian Golden Kinetic Bronze Sculpture "Sera Sole"
By Gianfranco Meggiato
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Golden kinetic sculpture by Gianfranco Meggiato, bronze. In his work, Meggiato gets inspiration from the most mysterious city on Earth, city where he was born, lives and works - Ven...
Category

2010s Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Gold Leaf

Kinetic Bronze Sculpture "Vortice Energia", by Gianfranco Meggiato
By Gianfranco Meggiato
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Kinetic Bronze Sculpture by Gianfranco Meggiato. In his work, Meggiato gets inspiration from the most mysterious city on Earth, city where he was born, lives and works - Venice. Spa...
Category

2010s Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Gold Leaf

"He Played Like He Was Keith Richards" Dogman with Guitar Bronze Sculpture
By Gillie and Marc Schattner
Located in New York, NY
A whimsical yet very strong piece depicting the Dog Man from Gillie and Marc's iconic figures of the Dog/Bunny Human Hybrid, which has picked up much esteem across the globe. Here we...
Category

2010s Pop Art Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Double Sided Gold Plated Medallion (Limited Edition; Signed and Stamped)
By Arnaldo Pomodoro
Located in New York, NY
ARNALDO POMODORO Double Sided Gold Plated Medallion, 1985 Bronze with Gold Patina 2 7/10 × 2 7/10 × 3/10 inches Limited Edition of 500 Signed by artist with incised signature; Stampe...
Category

1980s Abstract Geometric Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Gold, Bronze

Medaglia 25 Anni Tecno Limited Edition bronze medallion plaque famous sculptor
By Arnaldo Pomodoro
Located in New York, NY
ARNALDO POMODORO Medaglia 25 Anni Tecno (Two Sided Bronze Medallion), 1979 Bronze (incised signature) 2 1/2 × 2 × 7/10 inches Edition 196/1600 Unframed This beautiful two sided limit...
Category

1970s Abstract Geometric Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Untitled
By Robert Adams
Located in Palm Desert, CA
"Untitled" is a bronze sculpture made by Robert Adams in 1979. The work is number 3 from an edition of 6. The artwork size is 29 1/2 x 9 3/4 x 3 1/2 inches. Stamped underneath, "Adam...
Category

Late 20th Century Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Untitled
Untitled
H 29.5 in W 9.75 in D 3.5 in
Latin American Sculpture by Raúl Valdivieso
By Raúl Valdivieso
Located in Washington, DC
Bronze sculpture by Latin American sculptor Raúl Valdivieso (Chilean, 1931-1993). Valdivieso is known for his reinterpretation of the classic organic forms and human figures. Raúl Valdiveso was born September 9, 1931 in Santiago, Chile. In 1952 he began his studies at the School of Fine Arts at the University of Chile. There he took to sculpture and studied under professors like Marta Colvin...
Category

1960s Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Greek Guitar Player
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Beautiful abstract sculpture depicting a guitar player. Bronze on wood base measuring 15 x 9 x 4 inches. Actual cast piece without base measuring 17 x 7 x 3 inches. Signed indistinct...
Category

Mid-20th Century Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Greek Guitar Player
Greek Guitar Player
H 15 in W 9 in D 4 in
Conectados VI - Bronze Figure Emerging From a Collection of Stacked Tiles
By Jesus Curia Perez
Located in Chicago, IL
Jesús Curiá Perez Conectados VI bronze 29h x 9w x 5.50d in 73.66h x 22.86w x 13.97d cm ed. 1 of 8 JCP051 Jesús Curiá's sculptures arouse something more than purely aesthetic pleasur...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze, Steel

Previously Available Items
Arched Dancers 2 (Small) AP
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) - 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

Bronze, Gold

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...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

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...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Mr. G, Small - High Polish
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 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...
Category

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

Arched Dancer, Small AP1
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

Arabesque, Miniature AP1
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, AP1
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

Dancers, Min/Small 9/12
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
Bronze, Edition 9 of 12. 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 i...
Category

2010s Robert Holmes Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Dancers, Min/Small 9/12
H 11 in W 22 in D 5.5 in

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.

Recently Viewed

View All