Mark di Suvero

Marco Polo "Mark" di Suvero (born September 18, 1933)^[1] is an American abstract expressionist sculptor.

Contents[]

Life[edit][]

He was born Marco Polo Levi-Schiff di Suvero in Shanghai, China in 1933 to Italian expatriates. He immigrated to San Francisco, California in 1941 with his family. From 1953 to 1957, he attended the University of California, Santa Barbara to study Philosophy. He later moved to New York City where surrounded by an explosion of Abstract Expressionism he focused all his attention on sculpture. While working in construction, he was critically injured in an elevator accident, was paraplegic in a wheelchair for years and was told he would never walk again.

While in rehabilitation, he learned to walk again and then to work with an arc welder. His early works were large outdoor pieces that incorporated wooden timbers from demolition buildings, tires, scrap metal and structural steel. This exploration has transformed over time into a focus on H-beams and heavy steel plates. Many of the pieces contain sections that are allowed to swing and rotate giving the overall forms a considerable degree of motion. He prides himself on his hands-on approach to the fabrication and installation of his work. Di Suvero pioneered the use of a crane as a sculptor's working tool.

Di Suvero was a founding member of the Park Place Gallery ^[2] and later, ConStruct, both artist-owned galleries, the former was the first SoHo Contemporary art communal gallery. The latter promoted and organized large-scale sculpture exhibitions throughout the United States. Other founding members include John Raymond Henry, Kenneth Snelson, Lyman Kipp and Charles Ginnever.

His distinctive, large bold pieces can be found all over the world. He continues to be the subject of multiple exhibitions and his commitment to emerging artists is undeniable through the Athena Foundation and the Socrates Sculpture Park. Di Suvero has received the Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center and, in 2005, the 11th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities for his commitment to aspiring artists.

Di Suvero currently lives in New York City with his second wife and daughter. He has two working studios, an open air fabrication facility in Petaluma California since 1975 and a former brickyard on the edge of the East River in Long Island City, Queens, New York since 1980 . Di Suvero also created a studio on a river barge in Chalon-sur-Saône France from 1972 to 1989, which he later transformed into a foundation.

He most recently published a book, titled Dreambook, a compilation of pictures of sculptures, poems, and ideas. The vibrant colors in it are reflected in the bright colors he always wears.

Education/Distinctions[edit][]

1933 Born Shanghai, China
1941 Immigrated to USA
1953-54 San Francisco City College
1954-55 University of California, Santa Barbara
1957 University of California, Berkeley, B.A. Philosophy
1972 Chalon Sur Saone's barge studio
1975 Develops Petaluma's studio
1977 Starts Athena Foundation
1985 Establishes Socrates Sculpture Park
2000 International Sculpture Center Lifetime Achievement Award
2005 Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities
2006 Elected into the National Academy of Design
2010 National Medal of Arts from President Obama^[3]

Sculptures in public collections and public spaces[edit][]

United States[edit][]

California

Prison Dream, 1961, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Spud, 1967, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Teha, 1971, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Crochet, 1974, Gersh, Phillip & Beatrice, Los Angeles
Homage to Charlie Parker, 1975, Oakland Museum, Oakland
Pre-Natal Memories, 1976, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Ol' One Tooth, 1978, Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs
Sea Change, 1978, South Beach Park, Pier 40, San Francisco
Isis, 1978, North Harbor Drive & Laurel Street, San Diego
Miwok, 1981, Center for Clinical Sciences at Stanford University, Palo Alto
Ferro, 1982, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco
Shoshone, 1982, 444 S. Flower, Los Angeles
Yi!, 1983–86, Runnymede Sculpture Farm, Woodside
For Veronica, 1987, di Rosa Winery, Napa
Whale's Cry, 1987, Clos Pegase Winery, Calistoga
Gandy dancer's Dream, 1987–88, Getty Center, Los Angeles
Symbiosis, 1989, Runnymede Sculpture Farm, Woodside
The Sieve of Eratosthenes, 1999, Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Palo Alto
Pax Jerusalem, 1999, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco^[4]
Declaration 2000, 2000, Venice Beach
"Mark di Suvero at Crissy Field" 2013, Crissy Field, San Francisco

[1][2]Mark di Suvero at Crissy Field in San Francisco on a foggy day

Colorado

Lao Tzu, 1991, Denver Art Museum, Denver
Sai Chen Lan 1992, Denver Art Museum, Denver

Connecticut

Alpha, 1968, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven
Borealis, 1988, Greenwich Plaza, Greenwich

District of Columbia

The A Train, 1965, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
Are Years What? (for Marianne Moore), 1967, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
Homage to Martin Luther King, 1968, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
Aurora, 1993, National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, Washington

Florida

Bojangles, 1966–67, Martin Z. Margulies Sculpture Park, Florida International University, Miami
Untitled, 1967, Federal Reserve Bank - Miami Branch, Miami
Untitled, 1977, Martin Z. Margulies Sculpture Park, Florida International University, Miami
Gnarly, 2008, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami
Oolam-pali, 2008, Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami

Hawaii

Gualala, 1977, Honolulu Museum of Art
Shadowdance, 1984, Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu

Illinois

No Title for Sure, 1968, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
Prairie Chimes, 1969, Governors State University, University Park
Yes! For Lady Day, 1969, Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, University Park
Choopy, 2007, Merchandise Mart, Chicago

Indiana

[3][4]Snowplow*Snowplow, 1968, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis

Han, 1979, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne
Keepers of the Fire, 1980, Century Center, South Bend
Helmholtz, 1985, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne

Iowa

Untitled, 1971, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City
Shadowframe, 1973, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines
T8, 1985, Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines

Kentucky

Untitled, 1972, University of Kentucky Art Museum, Lexington
Pollock's Indians, 1976, Speed Art Museum, Louisville

Maine

Untitled (Hand), 1959, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick

Maryland

Sister Lu, 1979, Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore
Under Sky/One Family, 1980, The City of Baltimore, Baltimore

Massachusetts

Nantucket
NJT, 1960, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge
Untitled, 1972, Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton
Sunflowers for Vincent, 1983, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln
Huru, 1984, Arts on the Point Sculpture Park, Boston
Aesop's Fables, II, 2005, MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge
Sunflowers for Vincent, 2011, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Boston

Michigan

Tom, 1959, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
Motu Viget, 1977, Gerald R Ford Federal Building, Grand Rapids
Pablo's Legacy, 1980, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit
Shang, 1984–85, University of Michigan Museum of Art (Frankel Wing), Ann Arbor
For Mother Teresa, 1998, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills
Scarlatti, 2000, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
For Ben Webster, 2001, Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids
Orion, 2007, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor

Minnesota

Stuyvesant's Eye, 1965, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Inner Search, 1980, Norwest Operations Center, Minneapolis
Arikidea, 1982, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Molecule, 1983, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
Gorky's Pillow, 1987, Franconia Sculpture Park, Franconia

Missouri

Praise for Elohim Adomnai, 1966, Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis
Bornibus, 1973, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
Beppe, 1978–95, University of Missouri–St. Louis (on loan from Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis)
Tumbleweed, 1985–87, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
Rumi, 1991, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
Old Buddy (for Rosko), 1993–95, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis
Destino, 2003, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis

Nebraska

Old Glory, 1986, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

New Hampshire

X-Delta, 1970, Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, Hanover
Origins, 2001–2004, Currier Museum of Art, Manchester

New York

Hankchampion, 1960, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
Ladderpiece, 1962, Museum of Modern Art, New York
New York Dawn (for Lorca), 1965, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
One O'Klock, 1968–69, Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn Harbor
Mother Peace, 1970, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
For Roebling, 1971, Museum of Modern Art, New York
For Gonzalez, 1973, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Mon Père, Mon Père, 1975, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Jive, 1977, Pratt Institute Sculpture Park, Brooklyn
Mahatma, 1978–79, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Exclamation, 1980–81, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Mozart's Birthday, 1989, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
For Chris, 1991, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Caramba, 1994, Riggio, Leonard, Bridgehampton
For Euler, 1997, Salem Art Works, Salem
Cubo Arcane, 1997, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Joie de Vivre, 1998, Zuccotti Park, Manhattan
Pyramidian, 1998, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Chonk On, 2002, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Frogs Legs, 2002, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Jambalaya, 2002–06, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Beethoven's Quartet, 2003, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Double Tetrahedron, 2004, Salem Art Works, Salem

North Carolina

To Be, 1996, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro

Ohio

Tock, 1971, Weston, Harris & Alice, Cincinnati
Atman, 1979, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati
Eagle Wheel, 1979, Akron Museum of Art, Akron
Blubber, 1980, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo
For Kepler, 1995, Miami University Art Museum, Oxford

Pennsylvania

Victor's Lament, 1970, Muhlenberg College, Allentown
Iroquois, 1999, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

Rhode Island

Untitled, 1969, Museum of Art, Providence

Tennessee

Swizzle, Chattanooga State Technical Community College, Chattanooga
Tumbleweed, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee

Texas

[5][6]"Proverb" by Mark di Suvero, in Dallas.*Ave, 1973, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas

First European Variable Sculpture, 1973, Janie C. Lee Gallery, Houston
In the Bushes, 1975, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
Bygones, 1976, Menil Collection, Houston
Pranath Yama, 1978, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
Untitled, 1980, Buhsnami Sculpture Garden, Burton
For W.B. Yeats, 1987, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
Eviva Amore, 2001, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
Ulalu, 2001, Bayfront Arts and Science Park, Corpus Christi
Proverb, Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Hall, Dallas
Ad Astra, 2005, NorthPark Center Mall, Dallas
Clock Knot, 2008, University of Texas, Austin

Washington

Hand, 1962, Restricted Owner, Seattle
Bunyon's Chess, 1965, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle
Charles, Merrill, Robin, Bing, 1967, Restricted Owner, Seattle
For Handel, 1975, Western Washington University, Bellingham
Scissors, 1976, Restricted Owner, Bellevue
Mindseye, 1978, Western Washington University, Bellingham
The Answer, Jon and Mary Shirley, Medina
Schubert Sonata, 1992, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Wisconsin

Poland, 1966, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee
The Lovers, 1973, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee
The Calling, 1982, O'Donnell Park, Milwaukee

International[edit][]

Australia[edit][]

Ik ook, 1972, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Canada[edit][]

Flower Power, 1967, CityPlace, Toronto
Sticky Wicket, 1978, Art Gallery of York University, Toronto
No Shoes, 2013, Corktown Common

France[edit][]

Etoile Polaire, 1973, Museum of Grenoble, Grenoble
Extase, 1991, Technopôle Brest-Iroise site, Brest
Etoile du Jour, 1991, Ange des Orages, Paris
Vivaldi, 1993, La Ville de Valence, Valence
Esplanade des Invalides, 1997, La ville Chalon-sur-Saône

Sweden[edit][]

Blue Arch for Matisse, 1962, Moderna Museet, Stockholm

United Kingdom[edit][]

[7][8]Nelly*Nelly, 1986, Yorkshire Sculpture Park - YSP, Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Tyne Anew, 1999, Albert Edward Dock, North Shields

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