Collection: Mark di Suvero

(b. 1933)

Internationally recognized sculptor Mark di Suvero is best known for his monumentally scaled outdoor steel sculptures. After earning his B.A. in Philosophy from UC Berkeley in 1956, di Suvero moved to New York City where he quickly became engaged in the art scene and the movement of abstract expressionism. Shortly before his first solo exhibition, di Suvero was involved in an accident while working on a construction site and suffered near fatal back and spinal injuries. His recovery represents a turning point at which he began to focus more solely on his career as a sculptor. At this time his sculptures we made primarily of welded together pieces of steel and found materials like tires and railroad ties.

As his work evolved, di Suvero began working more ambitiously with steel, welding and bolting together I-beams so simulate the drawn or painted expressionist gesture. Increasing in scale, his sculptures rivaled the physicality of architecture and often times required the use of a crane in order to assemble, making di Suvero one of the first sculptures to work with steel at such an industrial scale. In addition, many of these sculptures began incorporating appendages that rotated or swung, requiring the viewer to engage with the piece through movement and physical interaction.

Beyond his work as an artist, Mark di Suvero is a lifelong activist. Co-founding Park Place gallery, the first co-op gallery in New York City, and the Athena Foundation, he has shown an outstanding level of commitment to providing opportunities and assistance to other artists. Di Suvero also established the Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, NY where the work of over 900 artists has been hosted in a space open to the public.

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC

Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA

Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA

Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY