Swimmer Sculpture Spotted in Chelsea

As a slew of gallery openings ensued in Chelsea last week I found myself caught in a cold and gloomy downpour. While walking briskly down 10th Avenue through the pouring rain I spotted Miniature Balance illuminated in the window of Jim Kempner Fine Art. Unaffected by the torrential rain in her sleek black swimsuit and glistening Swarovski crystal cap, she effortlessly caught the eye of many passersby’s. Looking serene and tranquil Miniature Balance acted as a ray of sunshine and warmth on a dreary night. With closed eyes and relaxed features Miniature Balance became a comfort and reminder that a little water never hurt anyone, even when caught in the rain sans umbrella.

Miniature Balance (Swarovski Cap), 2014. Oil on Resin. 18 x 16 x 9 inches.

While viewing Miniature Balance, I couldn’t help but think how life-like she seemed to me. It is very easy to catch yourself believing Carole’s sculptures are people at first glance, which is a result of the level of craftsmanship within every artwork. Each sculpture is meticulously rendered with every vein, eyelash, and water drop expertly placed. In many instances I have found myself having to do a double take when passing one of Carole’s swimmer’s. Additionally, they are always very inviting, enticing you to come closer and examine the artistry and detail within every piece. Miniature Balance piqued my interest, making me want to know the inspiration, thought process, and technique behind the piece. I am wondering what questions or thoughts readers have when viewing Miniature Balance? 

With fall rapidly approaching Carole Feuerman’s swimmer’s become welcomed reminders of hot weather and summer fun. If you desire a few last remnants of summer, be sure to visit Carole’s show in the Hamptons at Nicole Ripka Gallery (760 Montauk Hwy Water Mill, New York 11976) through October 19th, 2015. 

Carole A. Feuerman Solo Show: 'New Works' at KM Fine Arts Chicago

Miniature Serena, 2015, Oil on resin with red Swarovski Crystal cap, 10 x 17 x 8 inches.

Carole A. Feuerman | New Works

July 31 – September 15, 2015

Artist Cocktail Reception: July 31, 5-8pm

RSVP HERE

Chicago, IL (May 19, 2015) - KM Fine Arts is pleased to announce Carole A. Feuerman | New Works, a solo exhibition of new sculptures by the artist, on view from July 31, – September 15, 2015 at the gallery’s Chicago location at 43 East Oak Street, Chicago, IL 60611. The exhibition will feature a selection of both life-size and small-scale works by the artist. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, July 31, from 6-9pm with the artist in attendance.

Carole Feuerman (b.1945) has received critical acclaim for her hyperrealist sculptures of swimmers and bathers for over forty years. A number of her most iconic images, including Balance, Serena and Miniature Quan will be featured in the exhibition alongside life-size works, Christina and Next Summer. Executed in painted resin with tactile flesh and meticulous detail, Feuerman’s sculptures have a presence that is both contemporary and classical. While it is not uncommon for hyperrealist work to seem cold and unapproachable, Feuerman’s bathers, balanced and calm, are unexpectedly intimate and inviting.

Genuine mink fur is used for the replication of eyelashes and hair, and the details of the tanned skin, fingernails, and bathing suit ripples are painstakingly painted on. These details combined with the perfectly formed water droplets made of clear resin create astonishingly life-like sculptures. A number of swimmers are even dressed with swim caps that are bejeweled with red and crystalline Swarovski Crystals. The artist states that she, “sculpt[s] the human figure so lifelike, the pieces seem to breathe...This can take up to 100 different coats of paint, and glazing and sanding in between coats, to get the finish and luminosity needed. From start to finish, the process of creating a sculpture can take from 6 months to several years.”

Next Summer, 2012, Oil on Resin, 39 x 54 x 50 inches.

In addition to her resin and oil sculptures, Feuerman is also works actively with bronze. Two of her bronze works, Miniature Tree and Miniature Diver will be featured in the exhibition. The body of the diver is arched into a sensuous C-shape and speaks to her understanding of the golden mean: an ancient mathematical equation epitomizing balance and proportion. The bather featured in Miniature Tree is posed with an S-curve, or contrapposto, typical of classic Greek and later Renaissance sculpture. 

Feuerman lives and works in New York. She has had six museum retrospectives and her work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 2008 Olympic Fine Arts Exhibition, the Venice Biennale, The State Hermitage, and The Palazzo Strozzi Foundation, to name a few. Among her many honors are 1st-Prize-Best in Show at the Beijing Biennale, the Amelia Peabody Sculpture Award, the Betty Parsons Sculpture Award, and the Medici Award. Her work is in the selected collections of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Mikhail Gorbachev, the Forbes Magazine Collection, the Caldic Collection, and Credit Suisse Collection. Selected public collections include Grounds for Sculpture, the El Paso Museum of Art, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, the Bass Museum and Art-st-Urban.

Miniature Diver, 2014, Bronze with 24 karat gold leaf, 24 x 8 x 6 inches.

About Carole A. Feuerman

Carole A. Feuerman is recognized as one of the world’s most renowned hyperrealist sculptors. Her prolific career spans four decades in which she has pioneered new approaches to sculpture. Working in both monumental and life size, she is the only figurative artist to hyperrealistically paint bronze for use in outdoor public art, and the only sculptor to install these sculptures in the water.

While attending the School of Visual Arts in New York, she painted 13 album covers used by Time Warner Records including, but not limited to, The Rolling Stones World Tour Book, Alice Cooper, and Aretha Franklin. She has been honored with six major museum retrospectives to date.  Her work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions including the Venice Biennale, the State Hermitage, the Palazzo Strozzi Foundation, the Kunstmuseum Ahlen, the Archeological Museum di Fiesole, and the Circulo de Bellas Artes.  She won first prize at the Austrian Biennale, the Florence Biennale, the 2008 Olympic Fine Art Exhibition, best in show at the Beijing Biennale, and won the Save The Arts Foundation Award as Museum Choice.

Miniature Balance, 2015. Oil on resin with Swarovski Crystals. 18 x 16 x 9 inches.

In 2000, she was elected to be a member of the International Woman’s Forum, where preeminent leaders of diverse professional achievement from finance to fine arts come together to make a difference and to take an active, leadership role in matters of importance. In 2013 her sculpture, The General’s Daughter was featured in the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

There are four full-color monographs written about her work: Carole Feuerman Sculpture, both editions published by Hudson Hills Press, La Scultura in Contra la Realta, which is available in multiple languages, and Swimmers, published by The Artist Book Foundation. 

KM Fine Arts | Chicago

43 East Oak Street

Chicago, IL, 60611

Gallery Hours | Tuesday - Saturday, 11am - 6pm

t: 312.255.1202

e: info@kmfinearts.com

Capri

by Kelsey Zalimeni

Basking in the glimmering presence of Carole Feuerman's 'Capri' invites viewers to fully appreciate the skill and care of its execution.  While the dazzling Swarovski swim cap commands initial attention, the eye trickles slowly down the rest of the figure to delight in its detail and texture.  

Capri, 2013, Resin with Swarovski Crystal Cap, 30 x 20 x 11 inches

A rather content countenance gives way to a fitting leisurely pose, one hand casually hooked to the edge of her suit. The swimmer dons a brilliant cobalt one-piece with incredibly convincing texture and weight.  'Capri' symbolizes glamour, grace, leisure, and luxury.  She is both decadent and delicate, lavish yet natural- achieved through the juxtaposition of her relaxed, casual pose and the rich, sparkly materials she wears. 

This featured piece is currently on display at Art Southampton from Thursday, July 24 to Monday, July 28.  If you are attending the event, be sure to stop by booth AS67 to see 'Capri' in person!