In addition to being one of America’s leading civil engineers, Robert Holmes gained considerable acclaim as a self-taught sculptor. His abstract and contemporary bronzes convey strength, grace, optimism and serenity and are reminiscent of the works of Auguste Rodin, Constantin Brâncuși, Gaston Lachaise and Henry Moore.
Holmes was born in 1927 in Missouri, where he grew up amid the Great Depression. He had an instinctive talent for design and, in his teens, helped his father build houses. Holmes later attended the University of Arizona, earning a degree in civil engineering.
In the early 1950s, Holmes moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he established the Robert Holmes Construction, Design and Development Company. He specialized in designing contemporary homes in the Bay Area before he relocated the business to Arizona in 1958.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Holmes was among Arizona’s most successful luxury home builders. His company also designed and built churches, banks, bridges, apartments and manufacturing plants.
In 1981, Holmes decided to pursue a second career as a sculptor and sold his business. With his wife, Edith, he moved to the Sea Ranch, a community located north of San Francisco. Over the next several years, Holmes worked with local foundries to create his sculptures but was dissatisfied with the process. In 1989, he formed his own bronze foundry — Bronze Plus — enabling him to oversee all aspects of production and forge relationships with other bronze artists.
Holmes’s abstract and figurative sculptures garnered attention from art critics and gallery owners across the United States. His semi-abstract and curvilinear works range from table-sized miniatures such as Pas De Tres and Dancers on Toe to large-scale monumental sculptures like The Game and Bull and Ball.
Holmes’s works have been exhibited extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia. His sculptures are in private, corporate and public collections, such as the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, California, and the Hyatt Regency in San Diego. He died in 2016.
On 1stDibs, discover Robert Holmes’s dynamic sculptures.
$39,600
Tossa De Mar
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
Bronze A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-kno...
Bronze
Arched Dancers 2 (Miniature) #11/40
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Arabesque (miniature) - 24 Karat Gold plated
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Gold, Bronze
Reverse (miniature) - 24 Karat Gold plated
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Gold, Bronze
$3,000
H 17 in W 13 in D 2 in
Gold Gilt Bronze Sculpture Pendant Israeli Tumarkin Abstract Modernist Jewelry
Located in Surfside, FL
Measures about 4.25 X 2.25 inches. Box frame is 17 X 13 inches. Signed by artist verso. From the literature that I have seen I believe the edition size was limited to 10, I do not kn...
Gold, Bronze
Mini Portal
By Hans Van de Bovenkamp
Located in Greenwich, CT
Dutch, b. 1938 Renowned for his monumental sculpture created primarily for open-air public locales, Hans Van de Bovenkamp has been described as an artist-mystic whose work -- with i...
Bronze
$3,775
H 16 in W 7 in D 8 in
Woman Lying Down & Growing with Tree bronze sculpture by Yulla Lipchitz
Located in Hudson, NY
Organic, abstract bronze sculpture by Yulla Lipchitz of a woman lying down with a tree. About this artist: Yulla Lipchitz, née Halberstadt, was born on April 21, 1911 in Berlin, Ge...
Bronze
$2,500
H 2.7 in Dm 2.7 in
Double Sided Gold Plated Medallion (Limited Edition; Signed and Stamped)
By Arnaldo Pomodoro
Located in New York, NY
ARNALDO POMODORO Double Sided Gold Plated Medallion, 1985 Bronze with Gold Patina 2 7/10 × 2 7/10 × 3/10 inches Limited Edition of 500 Signed by artist with incised signature; Stampe...
Gold, Bronze
$4,250
H 7.25 in W 10 in D 3.25 in
Eduardo Chavez “Chama” Bronze Sculpture Mid-Century Modern 1966, New Mexico
By Edward Arcenio Chavez
Located in Denver, CO
This exceptional mid-century modern bronze sculpture titled Chama, created circa 1966 by acclaimed American artist Eduardo Arcenio Chavez, exemplifies the refined balance between org...
Bronze
$4,400
H 34 in W 19 in D 6 in
James Bearden Large Scale Brutalist Owl Sculpture from His "Animal Series"
By James Bearden
Located in Dallas, TX
Amazing large scale brutalist owl sculpture with glass eyes and beautiful enamel coloration by renowned Iowa abstract artist James Anthony Bearden from his Animal Series. We also hav...
Brass, Bronze, Copper, Steel
Sauterelle
Located in PARIS, FR
his refined bronze sculpture by Jeanne Konick-Kloss showcases a harmonious dialogue between geometry and movement. Composed of interlocking curves and angular forms, the piece balanc...
Bronze
$10,500
H 16.25 in W 5 in D 5 in
Val Bertoia Sonambient Sound Sculpture Titled "Sounds Like a Tall Tower"
By Val Bertoia
Located in Dallas, TX
This sculpture is titled "Sounds Like A Tall Tower" and is crafted from 49 silicon-bronze rods affixed with silver to a solid brass base. The work was created in 2014 by Val Bertoia ...
Brass, Bronze
Horse Power
By Mark Leichliter
Located in Loveland, CO
"Horse Power" by Mark Leichliter Abstract Sculpture 18x17x9" Fabricated Bronze 1/10 ABOUT THE ARTIST: I was born in Loveland, Colorado and now reside in nearby Fort Collins. The n...
Bronze
LIGNE DE PARTAGE
By Sophia Vari
Located in New York, NY
bronze sculpture with green patina
Bronze
Hold the Line
By Jim Rennert
Located in Greenwich, CT
Edition of 9 Suitable for outdoors. Renowned for his suited everyman character, Jim Rennert’s sculptures have graced the New York City streetscape for over a decade as public art in...
Bronze, Stainless Steel
$15,000
H 56.5 in W 14.25 in D 6 in
Large Val Bertoia Sonambient Sculpture Titled "2 Walking Squares for Sounds"
By Val Bertoia
Located in Dallas, TX
This sculpture is titled "2 Walking Squares for Sounds" and is crafted from 60 beryllium-copper rods affixed with silver to a solid brass base in two columns. The work was created in...
Brass, Bronze
Arched Dancers 2 (Small) AP
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Arabesque (miniature) #3/40
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Dancers (Miniature) Turquoise Patina #2/40
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Solo (miniature) - 24 Karat Gold plated
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze, Gold
Solo (miniature)
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Pas De Tres (miniature unique)
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Pas De Tres (miniature, unique)
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Just Dancing AP2 (Medium)
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Mr. G, Small - High Polish
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Banana, High Polish
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Arched Dancers 2, Miniature, AP 2
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze
Solo, Small AP 1
By Robert Holmes
Located in Napa, CA
A civil engineer for 30 years, Holmes has been exhibiting and selling his sculptures since 1975 in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He is now very well-known for h...
Bronze