SANTA FE, NM.- Allan Houser, Inc. announces that the prestigious, Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ will present the exhibition, “Inspired Visions”, running from October 12, 2008 to April 26, 2009 at their indoor Museum Building. The exhibit features a focused, retrospective of the career of Allan Houser; from his attendance and the early influence of the Dorothy Dunn School to his later abstract and modernist works.
The Allan Houser exhibit at Ground For Sculpture is one of four planned for the artist in the next 12 months. These include events at the Oklahoma Historical Society Oklahoma Historical Society in Oklahoma City, OK; The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, NM; and a major outdoor show at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ. For more information please visit our website Allan Houser, Inc..
“We are delighted that interest in Allan Houser continues to grow around the world.” said David Rettig, Curator of the Allan Houser estate. “The prestigious Grounds For Sculpture exhibit, like his Smithsonian retrospective, is among the exhibits that continue to expose his work to a sophisticated, international audience”.
Allan Houser’s recognition as a sculptor began in 1948 with the completion of his first stone carving titled “Comrade in Mourning”, commissioned for the Haskell School in Lawrence, Kansas. In succeeding decades he would refine his approach to stone sculpture and complete hundreds of works done in marble, alabaster, and limestone. As a sculpture instructor in the 1960’s and 1970’s he transferred his expertise and ideas to countless students and helped create what many art historians consider a renaissance in stone carving. In 1992, a PBS film documentary referred to him as “The Dean of Stone”.
Grounds For Sculpture opened to the public in 1992. It was the vision of J Seward Johnson, sculptor and philanthropist, to create a sculpture garden and museum to make contemporary sculpture more accessible and to offer people of all backgrounds the opportunity to become comfortable with contemporary art. It was conceived as a place where audiences could experience sculpture in a familiar, accessible, and informal setting. Since its inception the park has built a collection of over 240 works including sculptures by renowned artists such as Clement Meadmore, Anthony Caro, Beverly Pepper, Kiki Smith, and George Segal.
Allan Houser, Inc. was established in 1982 and its mission is to preserve and present the lifetime work of the Modern American Master Artist, Allan Houser. It also produces limited edition works from original molds or patterns created by Allan Houser and from molds provided by other select artists. Its offices are on a 110 acre estate south of Santa Fe which encompasses the late artist’s studios, sculpture gardens, a gallery, and full-service art foundry. It also operates a gallery in downtown Santa Fe and maintains affiliations with galleries and museums across the US and the world.