Ebony Figurative Sculptures

Popeye the Sailor is a European sculpture in the Hagenauer style made of Ebony wood and metal in the Art Deco style. We have had a few pieces in this treatment, including style and materials. They are scarce to find. This one is exciting since it is an homage to the character of Popeye. This sculpture has a slightly cubist feeling with black ebony and silver treatment, including the navy anchor on its arm, obviously inspired by the original Popeye. It’s not a widely known fact that a natural person inspired E.C. Segar, the creator of Popeye. We have discovered that it was fashioned to resemble this man, Frank “Rocky” Fiegel, whose parents immigrated from Poland to the United States. Rocky was born in 1868-1947, and as an adult, he joined the Navy. He was considered very strong and smoked a pipe, one of the characteristics of the cartoon Popeye, which became such an essential icon of protection, not allowing bullying or being bullied. This Popeye Sailor sculpture...

This sculpture is part of our exhibition America Coast to Coast: Artists of the 1940s. Two Figures, 1949, ebony wood, 24 x 7 x 5 inches, unsigned, but comes from Thomas' daughters ...

"Jim Jim" is an ebony carving by Tom Brun, sculptor and Detroit Zoo Keeper, who cared for the real Jim Jim at the Detroit Zoo. This ebony sculpture is in beautiful condition with slight exposure to the lighter streak of wood sometimes found in ebony. It is said that Tom would often go into a house and pick up one of his sculptures and say that it was unfriendly – meaning that it had not been handled enough. Morley Driver has said of Brun in a newspaper article from the 1950’s “In Any Animal He Sees Beauty”: No one who has ever seen a Tom Brun hippopotamus will ever again think of it as ugly or ungainly, meaning that the artist not only gives you beauty but teaches you to see it. Tom has said: “Small pieces are like a proverb – a gem of meaning that one can dissect.” They are meant to be picked up, caressed and held. Tom knew Jim Jim from birth and cared for him with love and attention. Brun was a compassionate zookeeper and advocated for less cages and more space for an animal to roam. Brun was born in England in 1913. A few years after the end of World War I his father moved the family in 1919 to Detroit, Michigan. In 1935 at age 23, he officially became a U.S. citizen. He served in the army during World War II for five years and upon discharge and at the age of 36 took advantage of the GI Bill and applied for admission to Society of Arts and Crafts (now known as the College for Creative Studies) where he was gladly accepted. While at Arts and Crafts his instructors and established artists such as Sarkis Sarkisian, John P. Foster, Morris Brose, Richard Koslow, Patricia Burnett, Lloyd and Renee Radell...

Night Composition 3D Wall Art under museum-quality plexiglass. Thematically this construction titled ‘Night Composition” centers on Erikson's romance in working with black, brass an...

Thierry Job was born in Marseille, France and currently lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. He studied art at the School of Beaux Arts in Paris. His wo...