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Michael O'Keefe
Agathist Head

2013

About the Item

In his sculptures, drawings and paintings, Michael O’Keefe employs unpredictable processes as a means to discover content. He couples accident and chance with unconventional methods, tools, and materials as a means to move beyond the boundaries of his tendencies. In his recent sculptures of heads and torsos, O’Keefe builds his forms out of pieces of plaster that are embedded with rich colors. These methods are critical for creating figuration that is free from convention, alive and fresh. O’Keefe’s figures are enlivened not only by evidence of inventive processes and an understanding of the human form, but also by a visual vocabulary steeped in an understanding of the history of art. Traces of art historical influences show up in O’Keefe’s work, often as characters within the expressive narrative and other times as faint whispers scattered throughout the formal vocabulary. Of his work O’Keefe says, “The existence of my work is dependent on a pulse found somewhere within the full extent of the continuum of what we call art.” O’Keefe earned his MFA from Southern Methodist University and currently teaches sculpture and drawing at The O’Keefe Studio, an independent teaching studio in Richardson, Texas. The dimensions include the black base.
  • Creator:
    Michael O'Keefe (1977, American)
  • Creation Year:
    2013
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 11.75 in (29.85 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Dallas, TX
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 188441stDibs: LU2572092483
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