Jose de Creeft facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
José de Creeft
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | November 27, 1884 |
| Died | September 11, 1982 (aged 97) New York City, US
|
| Resting place | Hoosick Falls, New York, US |
| Occupation |
|
|
Notable work
|
|
| Movement | Modernism |
| Spouse(s) | Alice Robertson Carr de Creeft (m. 1928, div. 1938) |
| Children | 2, including Nina |
| Awards | Crowninsheild Prize for Sculpture Gold Medal, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Richard Prize, National Sculpture Society - Fellow, National Sculpture Society<3r>Associate, National Academy of Design President, Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors |
| Signature | |
 |
|
José Mariano de Creeft (born November 27, 1884 – died September 11, 1982) was a famous artist, sculptor, and teacher. He was born in Spain but became an American citizen. He was known for making modern sculptures, especially figures of women, out of stone, metal, and wood.
One of his most famous works is the 16-foot bronze Alice in Wonderland sculpture in Central Park, New York City. Kids love to climb on it! He was one of the first artists to use a special way of sculpting called 'direct carving'. This means he carved directly into the material instead of making models first. He also invented a technique called 'lead chasing'. He was also among the first to create modern art from everyday objects he found.
De Creeft taught art at several schools, including Black Mountain College and the Art Students League of New York. His sculptures can be seen in famous museums like the Whitney Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Contents
Early Life and Art Training
José de Creeft was born in Guadalajara, Spain, on November 27, 1884. When he was four, his family moved to Barcelona. In 1890, his father died, and his family became very poor. José, his mother, and two sisters moved in with an aunt.
At just six years old, José started working. He earned a few pennies by carrying stone and sand at the building site of the famous La Sagrada Familia church. This church was designed by the architect Antonio Gaudi.
In 1895, when he was 11, de Creeft began making religious figures out of clay. He would bake them in his home kiln and sell them near the Barcelona Cathedral. Two years later, he started learning from Barnadas, a craftsman who carved religious figures from wood. He also studied with other sculptors like Mariano Benlliure.
In 1900, de Creeft moved to Madrid. There, he studied with Don Augustin Querol Subirats, who was the Official Sculptor of Spain. This was his first time carving stone. He also learned drawing and sculpture from other artists. In 1902, he opened his first art studio. Around this time, he saw art made by Eskimos (Inuit people) in a park. He was very impressed by their simple, powerful sculptures made from tiny pieces of ivory.
In 1905, he moved to Paris, France. He studied at the Académie Julian for two years. He opened studios in Montmartre, a famous art area. There, he met and became friends with other important artists like Pablo Picasso. In 1906, he won his first award for his clay sculpture called "Torso."
New Ways of Sculpting
From 1909 to 1928, José de Creeft showed his art in many exhibitions in Paris. He learned traditional ways of making sculptures. But in 1915, he decided to try something new. He started using "taille directe," or direct carving. This meant he carved directly into the stone or wood. He called this "pure sculpture." He was so excited about this new method that he destroyed almost all his old plaster and clay works.
In 1915, he finished Barbare, his first direct sculpture in wood. The next year, he made his first stone sculpture, a red granite head. He also carved a portrait directly from a person for the first time.
After World War I, there was a need for art to honor war heroes. In 1918, de Creeft was asked to carve a seven-foot granite war memorial. This sculpture, Le Poilu, still stands in a town square in France.
In 1924, de Creeft developed a new technique called chased lead. He would cast large, rough lead shapes. Then, he would hammer and carve the lead to create detailed sculptures. No other artists were using this method at the time.
A year later, in 1925, he created another new technique, now known as found object or assemblage art. He was asked to make a sculpture for a famous flamenco dancer. De Creeft was sick, but he needed to finish the piece quickly. So, he took apart his stove to create an eight-foot figure on horseback called Le Picador. He even added used tire tubes to show the horse's insides! He paraded this sculpture through the streets of Paris, and it became very famous. This was the first time an artist turned scrap metal into sculpture.
It was around this time that he met Alexander Calder, who later became famous for his mobiles. Calder became de Creeft's student in direct carving. De Creeft encouraged Calder to show his mechanical toys, and Calder first put together his famous "Circus" in de Creeft's studio. They became lifelong friends.
In 1927, de Creeft moved to Mallorca, Spain. He was asked to create sculptures for an old fortress. He worked with great energy, carving over 200 stone pieces in 18 months.
Moving to the United States
In 1929, de Creeft married Alice Robertson Carr, an American student he had taught in Paris. They moved to the United States in June 1929. That July, de Creeft had his first solo art show in the U.S. in Seattle, Washington.
The couple settled in New York City in September. De Creeft opened a studio and had his first solo exhibition in New York City in December. He showed sculptures like The Portrait of Cesar Vallejo (made with chased lead) and The Silver Fox (made from found materials).
In 1930, he developed another new technique called "Beaten Lead." He would hang a thick sheet of lead from the ceiling and use hammers to shape both sides at the same time. He created his first beaten lead portrait that year.
Throughout the 1930s, José and Alice spent time in France and Spain. Their son, William, was born in Paris in 1932. In 1932, de Creeft started teaching sculpture at The New School for Social Research in New York. Their daughter, Nina de Creeft Ward, was born in 1933.
In 1936, while the de Creefts were living in Mallorca, the Spanish Civil War began. Their home was bombed, and many of de Creeft's sculptures were damaged. The family had to escape separately. When he returned to America, de Creeft became a founding member of the American Artists' Congress.
In 1938, he helped start the Sculptors Guild, a group for sculptors in New York City. He became a U.S. citizen in 1940. During the 1930s, many artists moved to the U.S. because of the war in Europe. De Creeft reconnected with many of his artist friends from Spain, including Salvador Dalí.
In 1944, de Creeft taught at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. There, he met Lorrie Goulet, who became his future wife. They married that November. He also started teaching at The Art Students League of New York that same year.
In 1946, de Creeft and Goulet bought a farm in Hoosick Falls, New York. They set up a studio there. Working outdoors helped his health. He also enjoyed cutting wood and making repairs to his house. Their daughter, Donna Maria, was born in New York City in 1948.
Famous Sculptures and Commissions
In 1951, de Creeft began working on Poetess, an eight-foot granite sculpture. It took him five years to complete. He sharpened his tools every day in a forge he built on his farm.
In 1957, he was asked to create a hammered-copper sculpture called Theme.
One of his most famous commissions came in 1956. George T. Delacorte Jr. asked him to create the bronze Alice in Wonderland sculpture group for Central Park. It was a memorial for Delacorte's wife. The large sculpture, 12 by 16 feet, was officially opened in 1959. It was designed for children to climb on. De Creeft's own daughter, Donna Maria, was the model for Alice's face.
The sculpture shows Alice sitting on a mushroom at a tea party with the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the White Rabbit, and other characters from the story. It was inspired by the drawings of John Tenniel. Children love to climb on it, just as de Creeft intended. This monument brought him worldwide recognition.
The City of New York also asked de Creeft to create a mosaic mural in 1961 and a bronze relief sculpture in 1966 for hospitals in New York.
Later Life and Recognition
In May 1960, the Whitney Museum held a big exhibition of de Creeft's work. It then traveled to 13 museums across the United States. That summer, de Creeft and his family visited places in France, Italy, and Spain where he had lived and worked. They even visited his friend Salvador Dalí.
In 1965, de Creeft's art was shown at The White House during the Festival of the Arts.
A documentary film was made in 1966 showing de Creeft carving The Hand of Creation from white Carrara marble. In the film, he said, "I love the stones. I respect the stones like my grandfather.”
In 1972, one of his works, The Baby’s Sleep, was bought by The Vatican for their collection of religious art. This made him one of only three American artists in that collection.
In 1973, he received an award from Spain called the "Comendador" of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. The next year, a special exhibition of his work was held for his 90th birthday.
In 1977, de Creeft was named "Honored Son" of Guadalajara, Spain, where he was born. A street was named after him, and a plaque was placed on his birth house.
In 1981, a major exhibition of his work was held in Barcelona, Spain. De Creeft donated his 1925 metal sculpture, Le Picador, to the museum in honor of his father.
In 1976, the town of Hoosick Falls, New York, decided to create a memorial for de Creeft. He donated his granite sculpture The Guardian for the memorial.
Death
José de Creeft died on September 11, 1982, at the age of 97, in his home in Manhattan, New York City. His ashes were buried in Hoosick Falls, New York, at the foot of his sculpture The Guardian. The monument reads: "Love and Respect One Another."
After his death, a major exhibition honoring his life and art was held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Awards and Achievements
José de Creeft received many awards and honors throughout his life:
- 1906: Won the Grand Prix for his clay sculpture Torso at the Académie Julian.
- 1933: Awarded the Crowninshield Prize for sculpture.
- 1941: Elected President of the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors.
- 1942: Won first prize and $5,000 for his sculpture Maternity at an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- 1945: Received a Gold Medal for Rachmaninoff at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
- 1948: Became an Associate of the National Academy of Design.
- 1951: His sculpture Les Adieux (The Farewell) won the top prize of $10,000 at the American Sculpture competition.
- 1958: Elected Fellow of the National Sculpture Society.
- 1969: Awarded the Therese and Edwin H. Richard Prize for Dream.
- 1975: Columbia University gave him the Florence Eickemeyer Award for Excellence.
Images for kids
-
Poet, 1956
-
Continuite, 1958.
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: José de Creeft para niños
- List of American artists
