Violinist (1981). Ed 2/9

About Violinist (1981). Ed 2/9

This contemporary bronze table top sculpture of a violinist is by Howard Newman.

A much-admired and celebrated American painter, sculptor, art restorer and inventor, Howard Newman has developed his singular vision over decades.
In the 1980s, his sculptural work turned to bronzes, and a ‘love of refinement’ resulted in pieces like The Violinist, an elegant combination of the geometric form of ‘Cubism’ and the dynamic movement of ‘Futurist sculpture.’ His work has a bold aesthetic, and his process involves assembling separately cast pieces—some geometric, machine-like shapes with human figures. Newman hand forged this figurative sculpture in 1981, after he experimented with playing the violin himself for two years. During that time, he says he “developed a profound appreciation for that most difficult partner. In the end, that gesture—the torqued left arm and Michelangelesque Hand-of-God fingers, the shoulder-to-shoulder stretch across the back, the twist of the neck and grip of the jaw, came together…” The Violinist was one of a duo of sculptures he created at this time, which included another figurative bronze piece called The Drummer Girl.

“It is with some hesitation that I speak of this work in the first person, or even call it Art. For me, it is storytelling. Although it is through my hand that these sculptures, paintings and poems exist, their substance is informed and supported by my family, teachers, students, friends, and my community. It is influenced by a fascination with science and technology, language, philosophy and religion, and the mysterious ways we project ourselves into our world through our bodies.” Howard Newman

“Newman’s bronzes have the refined, assured thoroughness of a master sculptor. He works in a personal style that produces objects of extraordinary elegance…. The bronzes of Howard Newman speak with a refinement rarely heard today.” The American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters

Howard Newman was born in the small town of Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1943. He attended Miami University of Ohio, where he studied architecture, Cultural Anthropology, Sociology and Classical Literature, graduating with a BA. In 1961, he travelled to Italy with his wife, having been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, and there began making bronze sculptures. In 1967, Newman enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design and earned a BFA in Industrial Design and an MFA in Sculpture. There, he was mentored by a master metalsmith, John Prip, who taught him the art of silversmithing. Newman would return with his family to Italy once again in the mid-eighties, where he continued to produce a series of bronzes. The recipient of numerous prestigious awards, notably an award in Art from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in recognition of the creation of works of distinction, and the Prix de Rome in 1980 for his exceptional work in bronze sculpture. His work is collected privately and publicly in many museums and galleries in both the USA and Italy, including the American Art Museum, the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco and the Il Museo dei Bozzetti. Howard Newman finally settled in Newport, Rhode Island, where he lives and works in his studio.