James Surls

"Whistling Man" Made from the Cabinet Oak Tree. The Texas White House. LBJ Ranch

2024

James Surls (Born 1943) Texas / Colorado Artist Image Size: 60 x 36 x 33 Medium: Wood Sculpture from the Cabinet Oak Tree at LBJ Ranch 2024 "History Man" Designed to stand. James Surls (Born 1943) Texas / Colorado Artist A modernist sculptor of delicate seeming wooden objects of intriguing designs, James Surles also does drawing and prints that feature natural and human images and forms. He carves, whittles and stains his objects, but creating a monotone effect, rarely paints them but sometimes burns images into them. Some of his works are large, as much as nine-feet tall. Surls earned a B.S. degree from Sam Houston University and an MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 1998, he moved from Splendora, Texas to Carbondale, Colorado. In 2009, five sculptures, made of bronze and steel, were set up on Park Avenue by the New York City Parks Public Art Program. His work has been shown in major New York museums including the Whitney, Guggenheim, and Museum of Modern Art. His work is in numerous public collections. East Texas native James Surls is among the most acclaimed Texas artists of the late twentieth century and has found great success outside the state, as well. Surls' sculptures are most inspired by nature but also reveal metaphorical and mythological content. In a 2009 catalog for The Grace Museum in Abilene, Texas, Patterson Sims wrote that Surl's works are "studies of myths, science, and human behavior." After graduating from Sam Houston State University and The Cranbrook Academy of Art, he taught at Southern Methodist University and later at the University of Houston and the Lawndale Art Center, Houston. Surl's work is held in many museum collections, and he has had numerous solo exhibitions, including the Dallas Museum of Art in 1984 and The Meadows Art Museum, Dallas, in 2003. History Man and Walking Man – Provenance James Surls, renowned Texas Artist, was commissioned by the Friends of the LBJ National Historical Park, to create art from what is known as the Cabinet Oak that is growing in the yard of the Texas White House. As President, Lyndon Johnson held many meetings, including meetings with cabinet members, under the sprawling live oak tree in his front yard, next to his swimming pool. For that reason, the tree became known as the Cabinet Oak. In 2019, a huge branch of the tree broke off. The park service searched for ways to turn this devastating event into something positive and memorable. As a result, The Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park stepped forward and invited 53 artists to receive portions of the wood and without conditions use the wood to reflect their vision of its meaning. Renowned artist James Surls used his section of the branch to create three art pieces, including the two identified below that are being offered for sale. These works are unique examples of Surls artistry, showcasing his devotion to the LBJ legacy and to the beauty and history of the wood itself. History Man James Surls, 2024 60 inches times 36 inches times 33 inches Free standing Whistling Man...

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