Items Similar to Dove
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10
Mark MorrisonDoveca. 1960
ca. 1960
About the Item
Mark Morrison (1895-1964)
Dove, ca. 1960
Carved and polished stone
10" wide, 6.25" deep, height is 12"
Tail exhibits a small area of loss. Our conservator can repair this at no expense by request, but please note delivery time will be delayed by 4 weeks.
Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison.
Born:
Kingfisher, OK
Education:
University of Missouri
John Flannagan, mentoring and private instruction ca. 1940
Art Students League with William Zorach and Jose de Creeft
Exhibited:
Sculpture Guild Annuals
Audubon Artists Annuals
National Academy of Design Annuals
Pennsylvania Academy Annuals
Metropolitan Museum Artists for Victory, 1942.
Newark Fine Arts Museum
Whitney Annuals
International Exhibition, Fairmount Park, Phila. 1950
Nebraska Fine Arts
Metropolitan Museum Exhibition, 1951
Boston Arts Festival
National Sculpture Society Annuals
Memberships:
Sculpture Guild, Inc.
Audubon Artists
Awards:
Ellen Prince Speyer Award, N.A. 1950
Architeects Leauge of New York, Avery Award, 1958, 1959.
Museum Collections:
Metropolitan Museum of Art
National Academy of Design
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Whitney Museum of American Art.
Museum of Fine Arts, University of Arizona
Mark Morrison began his life as a sculptor while nearing his professional retirement. In the late 1930s and into the 1940s, he like many of the younger artists in New York City availed himself to the great many academies, museums, teachers and mentors it offered. He studied with John Flannagan before his death, and then Jose de Creeft and Williams Zorach at the Art Students League. Having an attraction and aptitude for the ideas of the direct carving movement and good thorough craft, he took advantage of the growing public interest in a new American sculpture, and worked quickly to become a contemporary of his teachers. Through the 1950s, he exhibited with them, sold, entered competitions, and won awards. He was a sculptor with a sure hand, a head for academy, patience, and promise. Morrison died suddenly in October 1964 having had just married his second wife earlier the same year. Mrs. Mark Morrison would offer a small piece for one more exhibition with a Sculptors Guild in 1965. The work was never seen again until 2025.
Morrison was born on New Year’s Day in 1895 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, a small rural city not yet a part of the Union. The only child of a Protestant minister, and one of only 16 that in 1913 would graduate from his high school in Higginsville, Missouri. He studied agriculture at the University of Missouri, at some point leaving to enlist in the army. He would reach the rank of Major. After the war, he married his first wife, moved to New York and began work for Tidewater Oil. He worked with them until 1954, retiring as a vice president. At the time he was living at 8 W. 13th St., his studio already set up in a corner of the basement in his apartment building.
The earliest exhibition on record for a work by Morrison was the Artists for Victory show at the Metropolitan Museum, 1942. Earlier the same year, John Flanagan committed suicide. The death was a terrible blow. Flannagan had been a profound influence, sharing both technical instruction and philosophical guidance. The importance of their friendship during the 1930's cannot be overemphasized. Morrison is part of Flannagan's artistic legacy, his only known pupil during the mythical sculptor's short life. Born in the same year of 1895, both artists came to NYC from rural regions of the US: Oklahoma and North Dakota respectively. In contrast to Morrison's stable life, Flannagan was a deeply troubled, difficult, impatient and unpredictable man. To have considered mentoring Morrison, his teacher must have seen a kindred spirit and artist of extraordinary potential. In turn, Morrison must have been a sympathetic and patient pupil who recognized the importance of overlooking personal shortcomings for the invaluable instruction of an artistic genius.
Morrison did not show regularly for almost 10 years spending this time educating himself, exhibiting here and there. He continued his sculpture studies at the Art Student League with Zorach and de Creeft, spending most nights working stones in his studio. His mature style would become clearly realized by 1950, a synthesis of the naïve and the sophisticated, what Flanagan called "the image in the rock", and the polished fluid marbles of Zorach.
Black Swan was featured in the Sculptors Guild exhibition "In Time and Place" at the Museum of Natural History in March 1952. And exhibit pushing those points in their mission to assist the public to fuller appreciation of sculpture, and that the sculpture and the architecture of buildings may again be planned simultaneous and homogeneously. Morrison's swan was the centerpiece of the modern living room designed by Earnshaw, Inc. In the same hall of the museum one year earlier Morrison and other members of the group demonstrated process at work in seven makeshift studios. He would continue to exhibit in Guild annuals and Audubon Artist annuals. His sculpture "Gosling" was given a special honorable mention from the Architects League in the Avery Competition of 1958, runner up to Zorach. In 1959, when he showed "Grasshopper" he won outright.
He had moved his studio to a larger more private space a few blocks away in Greenwich Village. By 1964 his work had become larger in scale, his groupings more challenging and lively, more considerate of light and the nature of the stone itself. He had lost weight and for a man of nearly 70 years old was in very good health. His death was unexpected and unfortunate, probably of a stroke . His legacy has survived, largely unknown until now in a small ranch in upstate New York.
- Creator:Mark Morrison (1895 - 1964, American)
- Creation Year:ca. 1960
- Dimensions:Height: 12 in (30.48 cm)Width: 6.25 in (15.88 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Wilton Manors, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU245216297752
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 2007
1stDibs seller since 2015
397 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 3 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Reading, PA
- 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 AllBlack Swan
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964)
Black Swan , ca. 1950
Carved and polished black pearl granite
7" wide, 11.5" deep, height is 29"
Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison.
Born:
Kin...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Sculptures
Materials
Granite
Seated Woman
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964)
Seated Woman, ca. 1950
Carved and polished red Italian marble
4.75" wide, 6 3/8" deep, height is 16.5""
Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison.
Born...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Sculptures
Materials
Stone
Sleeping Bobcat
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964)
Sleeping Bobcat, 1943.
Carved stone
9.5" by 8", height is 4.25"
Signed and dated 1943.
Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison.
Born:
Kingfisher,...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Sculptures
Materials
Stone
$6,000
Ram
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964)
Ram, ca. 1940
Carved diorite
9" long, 6" wide, height is 7.5"
Rusty band on hind quarter is a naturally occurring iron ore occlusion in stone, which bot...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Sculptures
Materials
Granite
Sleeping Cat
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Mark Morrison (1895-1964)
Sleeping Cat, ca. 1940
Carved Vermont granite
7.5" wide, 5" deep, height is 7"
Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Mark Morrison.
Born:
Kingfisher, OK
Educat...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Sculptures
Materials
Granite
Portrait of a Man
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Francisco Vazquez Diaz, known as Compostela (1898-1988). Portrait of a Man, 1949. Carved mahogany, measuring 18.75 inches h, 8.5 inches w, 11 in...
Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Mahogany
$12,000 Sale Price
40% Off
You May Also Like
Bust of a young woman / - Beauty of youth -
Located in Berlin, DE
Anonymous, Bust of a young woman, c. 1900, artificial marble and gray onyx marble. 37 cm (height) x 37 cm (width) x 22 cm (depth), weight 17.2 kg. Signed “GURRINI” on the reverse.
-...
Category
Early 1900s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
$881 Sale Price
20% Off
Torso in Drapery
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Classical theme of a Greek art inspires me. I am a big fan of a Greek mythology, so I depict it often". This sculpture shows beautiful woman in wet fabrics that emphasize body curve...
Category
1980s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone, Bronze
Blue-Eyed Girls Series, #6: Charlotte
By Bela Bacsi
Located in Pasadena, CA
Acquired by the gallery directly from the artist
Artist Statement “Charlotte is from a series I did, called ‘Blue-Eyed Girls.’ They take their names from heroines of Jane Austen, an...
Category
2010s Realist Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Model Girl
Located in Zofingen, AG
Classic female torso inspired by examples of high Greek sculpture. Sculptor explores the lines and shapes of the female body, embodied the diversity, slightly changed the poses.
Thi...
Category
1980s Realist Nude Sculptures
Materials
Stone, Bronze
Scultura in marmo italiana ritratto di fanciulla religiosa del XIX secolo
Located in Florence, IT
Il busto marmoreo, datato 1890, appartiene alla sua età adulta, nello specifico all’ultimo anno della sua vita, quando era molto richiesto e aveva uno studio molto prolifico a Firenz...
Category
1890s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Ballerina on a cube
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Classical ballet was my main source of inspiration. Grace and beauty of ballerinas combining with extremely hard work they do. This combination is shocking and inspiring in the same...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone, Bronze
