Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 2
Peter KirkilesSentinel2023
2023
$85,000
£63,225.63
€74,024.72
CA$118,603.87
A$132,721.05
CHF 69,300.70
MX$1,631,667.21
NOK 874,308.20
SEK 822,719.71
DKK 552,281.17
Shipping
Retrieving quote...The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation
About the Item
Peter Kirkiles Biography
American, b. 1966
Sculptor Peter Kirkiles stresses that the inspiration for his metal sculptures comes from the satisfaction of the process of fabricating a piece in a skilled manner and from his attraction to everyday objects and their relationship to humans. He finds beauty in the utilitarian tools, and objects that we may not notice in our day to day lives. By playing with their size and their proportion to human scale, he forces the viewer to examine more closely the object’s construction and its overall design importance. He has a nostalgia for well designed, well used, history laden objects.
“I’m a maker; I’m also an admirer of things well made. Over the years, I’ve chosen to make things that I love. I find the subjects of my sculpture in real life; a shoe, a camera, a clock, a ruler…made to scale, as sculpture.” –Peter Kirkiles
Kirkiles holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tufts University, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts and a Masters of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He has exhibited nationally including a 2021 solo exhibition “At Scale” at the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Vermont. His work is held by The Shelburne Museum, The New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT and by private collectors throughout the US.
*****
Peter Kirkiles’ sculptures are visual odes to everyday objects. He is a maker’s maker, a master craftsman, a lover of well-constructed things. He has a special affinity for things well-used, that have stood the test of time and remain steadfast in their intended purpose, that bear the marks of labor and living, that contain echoes of humanity: an antique chest of drawers, a well-worn shoe, a metal whistle, all sorts of folding rules.
A highly skilled fabricator with an expertise in metalsmithing, Kirkiles’ art is deeply informed by his years of experience working at foundries where, as a young man, he learned to bring other artists’ visions to life in monumental scale, as well as by decades of traveling the country restoring and conserving works of art as part of an expert team of art conservators and materials scientists. At home in his own studio, Kirkiles does everything by hand, from design concept to bronze casting, from carving, molding, and welding, to patina and pedestal. He revels in the process, and it is this love of making that brings his work to life, each sculpture an homage to the original maker of the object that inspired it, or sometimes to the person who used the object itself. Such is the case with Kirkiles’ 3-foot-tall bronze and steel sculpture titled Calder’s Pliers, which is a tribute to fellow artist Alexander Calder’s favorite tool for creating his world-renowned mobile sculptures.
While one may look at some of Kirkiles’s work—such as an absurdly large, wall-mounted whistle made of bronze with a wood burl—and think of pop art, or encounter one of his life-size folding rules that seems to be posed mid-stride and think of abstract figuration, Kirkiles maintains that it is a fidelity to the original object and its specific characteristics that is the raison d’etre of his work. Devoid of their function, the objects that inspire the artist are recreated as pure form, elevated as art, forcing the viewer to consider them anew. Kirkiles’ sculptures often evoke nostalgia for simpler times, or memories of a similarly beloved object. They question our relationships with the things we own, especially utilitarian items, and call us to a greater awareness of the material culture that comprises our personal worlds. What beauty can be found in a single shoe that cannot be worn, a dresser with only a façade of drawers, a train car that cannot transport, or a ruler whose measurements are wholly inaccurate? For Peter Kirkiles, the answer is contained within his art.
- Creator:Peter Kirkiles (1966, American)
- Creation Year:2023
- Dimensions:Height: 102 in (259.08 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 14 in (35.56 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Greenwich, CT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU18112337952
About the Seller
4.7
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 1986
1stDibs seller since 2013
169 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Greenwich, CT
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllSentinel II, study
Located in Greenwich, CT
Unique
Peter Kirkiles Biography
American, b. 1966
Sculptor Peter Kirkiles stresses that the inspiration for his metal sculptures comes from the satisfaction of the process of fabri...
Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Backwards Rule
Located in Greenwich, CT
Peter Kirkiles Biography
American, b. 1966
Sculptor Peter Kirkiles stresses that the inspiration for his metal sculptures comes from the satisfaction of the process of fabricating a...
Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Sybren Rule, maquette
Located in Greenwich, CT
Edition of 6 with 1 AP
American, b. 1966
Sculptor Peter Kirkiles stresses that the inspiration for his metal sculptures comes from the satisfaction of the process of fabricating a ...
Category
2010s Contemporary Still-life Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Prometheus, study
Located in Greenwich, CT
Unique
Peter Kirkiles (American, b. 1966)
Sculptor Peter Kirkiles stresses that the inspiration for his metal sculptures comes from the satisfaction of the process of fabricating a...
Category
2010s Contemporary Still-life Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
Outlook, maquette
By Jim Rennert
Located in Greenwich, CT
Edition of 9
Category
2010s Contemporary Sculptures
Materials
Bronze, Steel
Imbalance
By Jim Rennert
Located in Greenwich, CT
Edition of 9
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
$10,500
You May Also Like
SENTINEL
By Phillip Shore
Located in Three Oaks, MI
Phillip Shore's artwork is informed and influenced by his travels to and the study of the archeological artifacts from Ancient Greece and the relationship between humans and the env...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Steel, Iron
Inverse
By Andrew Hayes
Located in Mill Valley, CA
In Andrew Hayes’ 2017 one person exhibition with Seager Gray Gallery, the artist has expanded on his earlier work, while adhering to his practice of combin...
Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
Icare
By Patrice Breteau
Located in Miami, FL
Icare is a tall abstract sculpture with a black patina, made by Patrice Breteau, a French contemporary artist. Very slender shape, this bronze ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Bronze
$24,000
Golden Sentry
Located in Culver City, CA
The verticality of, “Golden Sentry” gives the sculpture a male protective energy and the rich organic surface gives the sculpture a female energy. A perfect balance of male and femal...
Category
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
18-10
Located in Vancouver, CA
Ben McLeod (b. 1948, Aberdeen, Scotland) is a preeminent Canadian sculptor whose over five-decade practice is characterized by a profoundly self-propelled trajectory and the cultivat...
Category
2010s Abstract Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
$6,800
Asta
By Robert Brady
Located in Mill Valley, CA
An abstract totem made using wood and paint by Robert Brady.
Category
2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Paint
$9,000