George Trakas

Last updated
George Trakas
George Trakas.jpg
Born1944 (age 7980)
NationalityCanadian and American
Education New York University, B.S., 1969
Known for Environmental Sculptor
Spouse
(m. 1971;div. 1979)

George Trakas is a sculptor who was born in Quebec City in 1944 and has lived in New York City since 1963. Many of his projects are site-specific installations, and he describes himself as an environmental sculptor. He often recycles local materials and incorporates them into his work. [1] [2] Trakas taught sculpture at Yale University for 13 years and has also taught at other schools. [3]

Contents

Education and honours

Trakas graduated from Sir George Williams University in Montreal and then went on to earn a bachelor's degree in art history at New York University in 1969. [1] He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1982, [4] a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1989, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters Medal for Sculpture in 1996. [5] Emory University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2011. [3] He also won the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award (2017). [6]

Personal life

George Trakas married Susan Rothenberg, a painter, in 1971. Their daughter Maggie was born in 1972. They divorced in 1979 but remained close until Rothenberg's death in 2020. [7]

Works

Notable recent examples of Trakas's work include a waterfront nature walk at the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn, New York; another waterfront installation adjacent to the Dia:Beacon museum in Beacon, New York; and public art in the New York City Subway at the Atlantic Avenue – Barclays Center station. [8] [9]

The following table contains a partial list of works by George Trakas. [10]

TitleLocationDescriptionYearReferences
Pont Épée Thiers, France Set of walkways and bridges on the Durolle river next to the "Creux-de-l'enfer"1985 [11]
Beacon Point Beacon, New York Angling deck, boardwalk, & restored bulkhead in Long Dock Park on a 25-acre peninsula adjacent to Dia:Beacon museum2007 [8]
The pathway of love Santomato, Pistoia A path made of iron and wood that crosses a romantic forest alongside a stream1982 [12]
Shoreline Nature Walkway Brooklyn, New York Nature walk adjacent to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant 2007 [13]
Hook (Archean Reach), Line (Sea House), and Sinker (Mined Swell) Brooklyn, New York Public sculpture inside the Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center station of the New York City Subway 2004 [9]
Reconnections Belmullet, Ireland Footbridge across a canal in County Mayo that has since been replaced1993 [14] [15]
Self Passage Humlebæk, Denmark Site-specific sculpture leading to a waterside platform, in the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art's sculpture park.1989 [15] [16]
Berth Haven Seattle, Washington A cedar and steel lakeside deck on the premises of an NOAA facility. Rests on foundations remaining from the site’s prior use as navy airfield.1983 [17] [18]
Route Source Atlanta, Georgia Site-specific sculpture in a wooded area of the Emory University campus1979 [19] [20]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Summit NYC 2011: George Trakas". Municipal Art Society.
  2. "George Trakas". New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Art History (newsletter)" (PDF). Emory University Department of Art History. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  4. "George Trakas". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Archived from the original on 11 November 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  5. "Award-winning installation artist George Trakas to discuss Hudson River environmental project, Wednesday, April 18, 2007". Vassar College. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  6. "George Trakas :: Foundation for Contemporary Arts". www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  7. Kennedy, Randy (21 May 2020). "Susan Rothenberg, Acclaimed Figurative Painter, Dies at 75". New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  8. 1 2 "George Trakas, Beacon Point". Dia Art Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Arts for Transit and Urban Design". Metropolitan Transportaition Authority. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  10. Complete works
  11. France, Centre. "Diable, 30 ans ! - Que reste-t-il du Symposium national de sculpture monumentale métallique organisé en 1985 à Thiers ?". www.lamontagne.fr. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  12. "The path of love". Fattoria di Celle. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  13. "George Trakas at the Water's Edge: Newtown Creek". Urban Omnibus. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  14. "Reconnections". Tír Sáile Sculpture Trail. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Parc naturel régional du Pilat" (PDF) (in French). art 3. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  16. "The Sculpture Park". Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  17. "NOAA Western Service Center Art Walk" (PDF). City of Seattle. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  18. "Soundscapes". building beyond. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  19. "Environmental artist Trakas returns to Emory". Emory University. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  20. "George Trakas "Source Route"". Emory University. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.