Peter Alexander (artist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Alexander
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Peter Alexander speaking in front of his mural Blue
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| Born | February 27, 1939 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | May 26, 2020 (aged 81) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles (BA, MFA) |
| Known for | Sculpture, painting |
| Movement | Light and Space |
Peter Alexander (born February 27, 1939 – died May 26, 2020) was an American artist. He was known for being part of the Light and Space art movement in southern California during the 1960s. He was especially famous for his sculptures made from a material called resin in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Early Life and Education
Peter Alexander was born in Los Angeles, California, on February 27, 1939. He grew up in Newport Beach. His family had lived in Southern California for many generations. They also worked in oil fields.
Peter first planned to study architecture. He went to several universities to learn. These included the University of Pennsylvania and the Architectural Association in London. He also studied at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Southern California.
Later, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He earned a bachelor's degree there in 1965. Three years later, he received a master's degree in fine arts.
Artistic Career
After working as an architect for a short time, Peter Alexander became well-known in the 1960s. This was thanks to his sculptures made from clear, see-through resin. He helped make the Light and Space art movement famous around the world.
Other artists in this movement included Robert Irwin and Larry Bell. Peter Alexander also created many paintings. Some of his paintings showed bright, aerial views of city lights. These views stretched across the Los Angeles Basin. He was even asked to paint a large mural for the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
His art has appeared in movies like Erin Brockovich and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.
Art Themes and Materials
Peter Alexander was a key artist in the Light and Space movement. His sculptures were also connected to Minimalism, which is an art style that uses very simple forms. The two most important parts of his art were color and light.
A curator named Robin Clark called him "one of the most extraordinary colorists." She also said his use of color was "sumptuous," meaning rich and beautiful. His art showed how natural and artificial light mixed together. This was common in art from the late 20th century.
His artwork often showed a glowing atmosphere but never the sun. This was a special feature of the Light and Space movement. Peter Alexander used resin a lot in his early works. However, he stopped using it around 1972 because it made him sick and he had to go to the hospital.
For the next 30 years, he focused on painting. He painted on canvas, paper, and velvet. The ideas for these paintings came from the landscapes and light around his hometown.
Peter Alexander started making sculptures again after 2006. This happened when one of his resin sculptures at the Centre Pompidou was damaged. The museum paid him for the damaged sculpture. They also gave him money to make a new one. He then used a less harmful material called urethane. This material was also better at showing color. Around the year 2000, he also began using acrylic paints.
Awards and Collections
In 1980, Peter Alexander received a special award called a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
His art is part of many important collections around the world. These include:
- Fogg Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California
- Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Minneapolis Institute of Contemporary Art, Minnesota
- Honolulu Museum of Art Spalding House, Hawaii
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- New York Public Library, New York
- Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
- Princeton University Art Museum, New Jersey
- Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla, California
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Stanford University Art Museum, Palo Alto, California
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia, Canada
- Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Personal Life
Peter Alexander lived in Santa Monica, California. He was married twice. He had two grown-up daughters from his first marriage. He also had a son from his second marriage to artist Claudia Parducci.
Peter Alexander passed away on May 26, 2020, at his home in Santa Monica. He was 81 years old.
