1990s Granite Sail - Abstract Wall Sculpture by Craig French

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Granite Sail - Abstract Wall Sculpture in Wood, Resin, and Aluminum

Whimsical and fluid abstract composition by Craig French (American, … Read more Granite Sail - Abstract Wall Sculpture in Wood, Resin, and Aluminum

Whimsical and fluid abstract composition by Craig French (American, b. 1959). Cast resin, wood, and aluminum make up this sculpture, full of movement and dramatic lines. A granite-like shape is supported by two streaks in blue and wood. A line of aluminum swirls throughout the composition.

Signed and dated "C French 1999" on tip to the right.
Dimensions: 65"W x 41"H x 6"D (at widest and tallest points)

Craig French is a pop-Constructivist sculptor, whose brilliant, lyrical wall pieces have gained an international audience. Cast resins, acrylics, sheet metals, rare woods, and glass are laboriously cut, lathed, and polished into fanciful shapes - then joined and intertwined into arresting color-texture combinations.

The works conjure a multitude of Southern California moods and attitudes. From the freewheeling zest of beach boys to the contemplative aura of Asian meditation, each work speaks to a paradigm particularly rooted in the Pacific Rim. These multi-media works rest, dance, play, spin, and sing to create an abstract language inflected by many accents. Yet they all are unified by overarching themes of aesthetic optimism, joy, and a duty to fine craftsmanship.

Craig French is in the line of the pioneering Russian Constructivists of the early 20th century who sought to elevate the abstract language of machine-age forms into art works of deep social and spiritual significance. Within their output were the first abstract walls sculptures know to Modern art. Picasso, too, would take up the mode - though more playfully - further blurring the boundary between painting and sculpture. French's most contemporary predecessor in the field of abstract wall sculpture is the great Frank Stella whose wall works routinely fetch six figures and are found in major museums around the world.

SELECTED CORPORATE COLLECTIONS

Boeing North America, Anaheim, CA
Hughes Aircraft Naval Systems, Fullerton, CA
Hyatt Hotel, La Jolla, CA
Interlinea Italia, Puglia, Italy
Pfizer, Inc., Irvine, CA
Safeco Insurance Co., Fountain Valley & Glendale, CA
Sheraton Grande Torrey Pines Hotel, La Jolla, CA
USSO Museum, Tokyo, Japan
Wellness Center, Saarbrucken, Germany

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

Irvine Museum of Fine Art, The Golden Land: Then & Now
Dierlich Gallery, Recent Works, Bonn, Germany
Harajuku Art Festival, Japan
La Foret Museum, American Pop Culture, Tokyo, Japan
Museum of Neon Art, Captive Light, Los Angeles, CA
Mt San Jacinto College, Recent Works, CA
University of California Fine Arts Gallery, Group Exhibition, Irvine, CA
University of New South Wales, Selected Honors Sculpture Exhibition, Sydney, Australia See less