Richard Erdman (artist)

Last updated
Richard Erdman
Erdman-Volante.jpg
Richard Erdman with his marble sculpture, Volante.
Born
Richard Stewart Erdman

(1952-05-20) May 20, 1952 (age 69)
Nationality American
Known for sculpture, painting
MovementAbstract Bronze and Marble Sculpture, Modernism
Spouse(s)Madeleine Dammers Austin
Patron(s) Donald M. Kendall

Richard Erdman (born May 20, 1952) is an American artist living and working in Williston, Vermont, and Carrara, Italy. Primarily working in marble and bronze abstract sculpture, Erdman's prolific body of work ranges from intimately sized maquettes to the largest sculpture ever carved from a single block of travertine (Passage, in the collection of the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens). [1] His works belong to collections in 52 countries across 6 continents, including the United Nations, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Princeton University, the Rockefeller Collection, and many others. Erdman specializes in collaborating with esteemed architectural firms for custom commissions, and has partnered with Antonio Citterio, Richard Meier & Partners, Enzo Enea, and Whipple Russell, among others.

Contents

Erdman's family moved to Dorset, Vermont, when he was a child, where he grew up at the foothills of the oldest marble quarries in the U.S. These early experiences with stone and nature greatly influenced his life and work. In his youth, Erdman was a two-time NCAA All-American skier at the University of Vermont. Erdman is the grandson of Charles R. Erdman Jr., former mayor of Princeton.

Education

Career

Richard Erdman has travelled to the marble quarries of Carrara, Italy, since 1975. His sculpture is frequently made from the region's white and grey marbles, which have been used since the time of Ancient Rome as the source material for a long lineage of artists, including Michelangelo. His sculptures merge the ancient tradition of marble stone-carving with contemporary modernist sculpture, and have been shown in more than 160 solo and group exhibitions throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He has executed over 120 commissioned works for museums, public, and corporate collections. His work is held in collections in 52 countries worldwide.

In 1985 PepsiCo commissioned Erdman to create the monumental sculpture Passage, which stands like a sentinel at the entrance to the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens at PepsiCo. Carved from a massive 450 ton block of travertine, the 25-by-16 foot Passage is the largest sculpture in the world carved from a single block of travertine. More recently, in 2017, Richard Erdman completed the monumental Bardiglio marble sculpture Arete , for Richard Meier & Partners' Timeless 55 Tower located in Taipei, Taiwan. Arete stands nearly 12 feet high.

Passage, 1985, Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Park, Purchase, NY. Passage Primary.jpg
Passage, 1985, Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Park, Purchase, NY.
Spira, 2014, Enzo Enea Tree Museum, Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. Spira new website.jpg
Spira, 2014, Enzo Enea Tree Museum, Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland.
Arete CDC, 2016, Timeless Tower, Taipei, Taiwan. Richard Erdman Sculpture Stone AreteCDC 3.jpg
Arete CDC, 2016, Timeless Tower, Taipei, Taiwan.
Fiora Bianca, 2016. Richard Erdman Sculpture Stone Fiora Bianca 2.jpg
Fiora Bianca, 2016.
Crescendo, 2012, Houston, TX. Richard Erdman Sculpture Public Crescendo 1.jpg
Crescendo, 2012, Houston, TX.
Sentinel, 2013, Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. Richard Erdman Sculpture Stone Sentinel 1.jpg
Sentinel, 2013, Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland.

Major collections

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