Late 20th Century Modern Bronze Sculpture, Gordon Newell's 'Caldera' - Set of 4 Pieces

Details

Description

Title: 'Caldera'.
Artist: Blair Gordon Newell (1905-1998).
Period of Production: Circa 1970s.
Origin: Carmel, California, USA.
Medium: Cast bronze with … Read more Title: 'Caldera'.
Artist: Blair Gordon Newell (1905-1998).
Period of Production: Circa 1970s.
Origin: Carmel, California, USA.
Medium: Cast bronze with copper patina.
Limitation: 1 of 8.
Signature: Incised with signature and edition on base.

Description: Offered is an abstract form bronze sculpture on a swivel marble and wood base, signed lower side, edition 1/8. Black/white photograph (14 x 11 inches) of the artist with a sculpture attributed to Roy Bishop.

Overall measures / Weight: 12 D x 7.75 H inches / 19 lb. 9.7 oz.
Sculpture measures / Weight: 11 W x 9 D x 5 H inches / 7 lb. 8.5 oz.
Marble base: 11 D x 1 H inches.
Wood base: 12 D x 1.75 H inches.

Provenance: Estate of Eleen Auvil (Artist), last resided in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The piece was acquired directly from the artist during the years 1965-1972 when Newell taught at the Sculpture Center in Monterey, California.

Includes: Sculpture, marble base, revolving wood base, black/white photo.

About the work: Thematically, the piece resembles a caldera, hills or mountains. As with all of his work that at its core is skeletal, interpretations of nature in art can take many visual forms. This sculpture is reminiscent of a 1938 creation titled, 'Big Sur Mountains or Abstraction', medium - Sandstone, on exhibition at the Monterey Art Museum.

About the artist: Born in Petaluma, CA on Nov. 9, 1905. Gordon Newell studied at Occidental College in Los Angeles (1924-25), UC Berkeley (1927-28), and then was apprenticed to Ralph Stackpole for work on the San Francisco Stock Exchange (1929-32). He then moved to Los Angeles where he taught at the Chouinard Art School and Occidental College for the remainder of the 1930s. During the years 1965-72 he taught at the Sculpture Center in Monterey. He died at his home in Carmel, CA on Dec. 6, 1998. His works, mostly in granite, are non-objective.

Exhibits: Penguin Bookshop (LA), 1933; LA County Fairs, 1934-41; Centaur Gallery (Selma), 1934; Calif.-Pacific Int'l Expo (San Diego), 1935; Ebell Club (LA), 1935; Painters & Sculptors of LA, 1935-38; UCLA, 1936; Carmel AA; Palos Verdes Library, 1937; Occidental College, 1938; LACMA, 1939; NY World's Fair, 1939; Monterey Peninsula Museum, 1975.

Installations: Honeyman State Park (Oregon); Occidental College, LA (relief panel); Fresno Mall (Valley Landing); Lompoc Public Library (Eagle); Planetarium (LA); Belmont High School (LA); Hollywood Post Office; White House (Washington, DC).

Edan Hughes, author of the book "Artists in California, 1786-1940".

During his long life, Gordon Newell created forms in stone that will endure for millenia. To call him merely a sculptor omits the greatness of spirit that animated the man and his work.

Disclosure: The last image is for illustration purposes only. Other items in the image are not included in the sale See less