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Julius Schmidt
Julius Schmidt "Geometrics" Iron Casting Abstract Sculpture Signed

1966

About the Item

Schmidt mainly worked in cast iron and bronze. This work reflects the influences of ancient cultures, natural forms, and the machinery of the modern age. Synthesizing these elements, his sculptures were an exploration of the dichotomy between the natural and the mechanical. It was both an ancient and futuristic vision, as well as a representation of man’s place within a technological world. Julius Schmidt is an American sculptor who earned his B.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1953 and for the next two years studied sculpture under Ossip Zadkine in Paris and at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. He returned to Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, in 1955 for his M.F.A. in sculpture. Cranbrook was designed by architect and faculty member, Eliel Saarinen who collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames on chair and furniture design. Numerous creative artists who are alumni of Cranbrook include: Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larsen, Donald Lipski, Duane Hanson, Nick Cave, Hani Rashid, George Nelson, Urban Jupena (Nationally recognized fiber artist), Artis Lane (the first African-American artist to have her sculpture, "Sojourner Truth," commissioned for the Emancipation Hall in the Capital Visitor Center in Washington DC), Cory Puhlman (televised Pastry Chef extraordinaire), Thom O’Connor (Lithographs), Paul Evans (Brutalist-inspired sculpted metal furnishings), Eugene Caples (small bronze images/abstract), Morris Brose (bronze sculptures), Herb Babcock (blown glass) and Larry Butcher (mixed media – abstract.) Schmidt served as Chairman of the Sculpture Department at the Kansas City Art Institute from 1955-1959. He also taught at Rhode Island School of Design, University of CA at Berkeley and in 1962 was invited to head the Sculpture Department of Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 1970, he accepted a position as head of the graduate sculpture department at the University of Iowa, where he remained until his retirement in 1993. Schmidt mainly worked in cast iron and bronze. His work reflected influences of ancient cultures, natural forms, and the machinery of the modern age. Synthesizing these elements, his sculptures were an exploration of the dichotomy between the natural and the mechanical. It was both an ancient and futuristic vision, as well as a representation of man’s place within a technological world. Schmidt first introduced iron casting into the academic environment in the early 1960s when he was teaching at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Prior to the 1960s, most artists had to rely on commercial foundries to cast their sculpture. According to Schmidt, “entrusting the casting to foundry men, the sculptor never learned all he should about materials and processes and thus the range of his imagination and achievement was inhibited.” Through Schmidt’s drive for innovative techniques, such as adapting from industry the core sand process of mold making, combined with his intense dedication to research and his knowledge about materials and processes, he succeeded in putting the cast metal process directly into the hands of the sculptor. His contributions to the art world and to the countless students he mentored garnered him the unofficial title, “grandfather of cast iron sculpture.” In 1998, Schmidt received the Outstanding Educator Award from the International Sculpture Center. Julius received numerous awards and honors, including being one of the artists represented in the 1959 exhibition, Sixteen Americans, Museum of Modern Art and receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1964. He gained international recognition in 1963 with inclusion in the VII Bienal in Sao Paulo, Brazil and in Sculpture in the Open Air in London. He was also invited to the White House Festival of Arts in 1965. His work appears in over 30 museums world-wide and in dozens of public and private collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Modern Art, Walker Art Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Chase-Manhatten Bank, and the Nelson Rockefeller Collection. Affixed label on bottom is from Gertrude Kasle gallery.
  • Creator:
    Julius Schmidt (1923, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1966
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 14.5 in (36.83 cm)Width: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)Depth: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Detroit, MI
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU128616004842

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