Martin Puryear facts for kids

Martin L. Puryear (born May 23, 1941) is a famous American artist. He is known for his dedication to traditional ways of making things. He works with many different materials, but mostly wood. His art style involves simplifying shapes and thinking deeply about his materials. This pushes the limits of what his materials can do. In 2019, his art show Liberty/Libertà was chosen to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale, a big international art event.

Martin Puryear's Life

Martin Puryear was born in 1941 in Washington, D.C. From a young age, he loved exploring old-fashioned ways of making things. He made tools, boats, musical instruments, and furniture.

After getting his first art degree from the Catholic University of America in 1963, Puryear spent two years in Sierra Leone. He was a volunteer with the Peace Corps, helping people in other countries. From 1966 to 1968, he studied printmaking in Sweden. Then, he came back to the United States to study sculpture at Yale University. During this time, he learned about a style called Minimalism. However, he decided that this style was too impersonal and formal for his own art.

After earning his master's degree from Yale, Puryear taught art at different universities. In 1977, a fire destroyed his art studio in Brooklyn. After that, he moved to Chicago and continued teaching at the University of Illinois.

His artwork was shown in the Whitney Biennial in New York City several times. This is a very important art show. In 1982, he traveled to Japan to study architecture and garden design. He received a special award called the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship for this trip. In 1989, he won another important award, the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. That same year, he represented the United States at the São Paulo Bienal in Brazil.

In 2007, the Museum of Modern Art organized a big exhibition of his work. This show traveled to several other major art museums. In 2012, President Obama gave him the National Medal of Arts. This is one of the highest honors for artists in the United States. In 2019, he again represented the United States at the Venice Biennale.

About Martin Puryear's Art

Vessel (1997–2002), at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Martin Puryear's art looks complex because of how he builds and shapes his materials. He often combines natural, curvy shapes with straight, geometric ones. He tries to make his art and the materials he uses feel very natural and simple. He believes that each piece of art should feel "inevitable." This means it should feel like it was always meant to be that way, with a "fullness of being within limits."

Some people connect his art to Minimalism or Formalist sculpture. But Puryear says his work is never just about shapes. It always has a deeper meaning. He uses traditional craft methods to create pure, simple shapes. These shapes are also poetic and very personal. His art often makes you think about the history of objects and how they are made. It can also suggest stories about the artist, different cultures, traditions, and who we are. His art is shown and collected all over the world.

For almost 50 years, Puryear has made large sculptures. These sculptures use his unique abstract style on a huge scale. From his first outdoor artwork in 1977 at Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park, to his new sculpture at Storm King Art Center in 2023, his public art starts with his own hands. He makes drawings or small models from wood before creating the big pieces.

Lookout (2023)

In 2023, Puryear finished a sculpture called Lookout. It is his first large-scale sculpture made of brick. You can find it at Storm King Art Center in New York. The sculpture is a dome-shaped shell with curved walls. It has 90 round openings of different sizes. Visitors can walk around and even inside the sculpture. From inside, they can enjoy views of the beautiful area around it.

Building this project was a big challenge. It was like a structural puzzle. But in 2019, Puryear met John Ochsendorf, a professor and engineer from MIT. This meeting helped them find a solution. Professor Ochsendorf has studied old building methods, especially brick domes and arches. They quickly came up with a plan. They used a technique called Nubian vaulting. This is an ancient building method that both Puryear and Ochsendorf knew about.

At Storm King, Lara Davis, an architect and vaulting expert, led the construction. She worked with Puryear's studio to choose the best materials and plan how to build it. The sculpture was completed over two summers.

Puryear considers Lookout to be the most complex sculpture he has ever made.