Daniel Edwards
Encyclopedia
Daniel Edwards is an American sculptor whose pieces address celebrity and popular culture in ways that have often stirred controversy. The release of the pieces is generally accompanied by press releases. He includes the idea of promotion and associative fame in his own marketing of his art.
His works include a sculpture of the disembodied head of Ted Williams
, a life-sized statue of Britney Spears
giving birth while nude on her hands and knees on a bearskin
rug, a bust
of Senator
Hillary Clinton, and a 25 foot bust of Fidel Castro
.
actually had a caesarean section
.
In an Associated Press
interview, Edwards asserted that he incorporates celebrity stories because:
or pro-choice
advocates".
A number of the images shown in the media are casts of the sculpture rather than the original. Casts can be distinguished by the joins around the forearms and shins and by their paler color.
of Senator
Hillary Rodham Clinton
is titled "Presidential Bust of Hillary Rodham Clinton". The sculpture depicts her wearing a low-cut floral dress.
and Katie Holmes
. The sculpture was to be auctioned on eBay
, and Edwards was commissioned to produce a limited-edition plaster replica. Sources disagreed on whether the bronze sculpture actually contained Suri's excrement: some reported that it did, while others reported the story as being a hoax.
's Deathbed Portrait" by sending a press release announcing its unveiling in Central Park
in New York City
, although he did not apply for the proper permits.
depicts the heiress dead and naked with her legs spread. She is wearing a tiara
and clutching a mobile phone. Her pet Chihuahua
, Tinkerbell, also wearing a tiara, is featured resting its front paws on her breast. The sculpture is aimed at stopping young women from drinking and driving, a crime of which Hilton had previously been found guilty and subsequently sentenced to jail after breaking probation.
The sculpture also has an open abdominal cavity with removable life-size organs and twin fetuses, which visitors to the exhibition may hold if they wear special gloves.
The publicity around this work even attempted to incorporate a Web 2.0-style participatory element, with a contest for viewers to submit their own essays about drunk driving.
The artwork was unveiled on 11 May 2007 at Capla Kesting Fine Art in New York
.
and Robert F. Kennedy
for the Landmark for Peace Memorial
in Indianapolis
.
In 1997, Edwards spent 30 hours with former Alabama governor George C. Wallace
preparing to create a wax bust of Wallace.
In 2009, Edwards released "String Of Babies" depicting Nadya Suleman
(Octomom) as an octopus embracing the world's only surviving set of octuplets.
In 2009, Edwards brought in Cory Allen
, a publicist
who also works with tabloid artist XVALA
and artist Marilyn Artus
.
On August 9, 2009, Edwards unveiled his latest piece, a nude statue of Angelina Jolie
breastfeeding twins, one African and one not.
In 2010, Edwards released the book "Blues Heads: Portraits of American Roots Music", ISBN 1452891982, through New York
publishing house, AppleParrot. The book is based on Edwards’s collection of Blues Heads he sculpted, face-to-face with famous blues musicians over a ten-year excursion around the country, visiting festivals, nightclubs and even at times, in their own homes. The book features musicians such as: Chuck Berry, Bobby Blue Bland, James Brown, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Hubert Sumlin and Ike Turner.
On August 9, 2011, pictures surfaced of a new statue Edwards had created depicting actress/singer Selena Gomez
with her boyfriend singer, Justin Bieber
conjoined by the torso, nude, with only coverings on their private parts. Justin was given the Canadian maple leaf as a covering and Selena, the Texas star.
produced a series of short documentaries on Edwards and his work. His compilation was entitled La Danse Macabre: Portrait of a Serial Sculptor.
Vacant Era Films and Festival City Films is currently in production with the Daniel Edwards and XVALA
documentary titled Domestic Bliss: The Daniel Edwards/XVALA
Project and set for release fall 2009. Filmmaker Dave Smith will capture the lives’ of both artists and their latest collaboration, The Brangelina, to be unveiled in New York City, Los Angeles, London and Oklahoma City. Directed by Dave Smith and produced by Cory Allen.
, a short film by A.D. Calvo
, a short film by A.D. Calvo
His works include a sculpture of the disembodied head of Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
, a life-sized statue of Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
giving birth while nude on her hands and knees on a bearskin
Bearskin
A bearskin is a tall fur cap, usually worn as part of a ceremonial military uniform. Traditionally, the bearskin was the headgear of grenadiers, and is still worn by grenadier and guards regiments in various armies.-Origins:...
rug, a bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Hillary Clinton, and a 25 foot bust of Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
.
Britney Spears
Edwards titled the piece "Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston," explaining that it symbolized Spears' decision to put childbirth ahead of her career.Britney SpearsBritney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
actually had a caesarean section
Caesarean section
A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...
.
In an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
interview, Edwards asserted that he incorporates celebrity stories because:
"You’re bombarded with these stories. And there’s a thread that winds back to the art. That’s not a bad thing. People are interested in sex, and it works for art as well."Edwards conceded, however, that he "wouldn't march with either pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
or pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
advocates".
A number of the images shown in the media are casts of the sculpture rather than the original. Casts can be distinguished by the joins around the forearms and shins and by their paler color.
Hillary Clinton
The life-size bustBust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
is titled "Presidential Bust of Hillary Rodham Clinton". The sculpture depicts her wearing a low-cut floral dress.
Suri Cruise
On 28 August 2006, Edwards unveiled a sculpture titled "Suri's bronzed baby poop", purported to be the actual first bowel movement of the baby of Tom CruiseTom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
and Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes
Katherine Noelle "Katie" Holmes is an American actress who first achieved fame for her role as Joey Potter on The WB television teen drama Dawson's Creek from 1998 to 2003. Her movie roles have included the blockbuster Batman Begins along with art house films such as The Ice Storm and thrillers...
. The sculpture was to be auctioned on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, and Edwards was commissioned to produce a limited-edition plaster replica. Sources disagreed on whether the bronze sculpture actually contained Suri's excrement: some reported that it did, while others reported the story as being a hoax.
Fidel Castro
Edwards promoted his sculpture "Fidel CastroFidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
's Deathbed Portrait" by sending a press release announcing its unveiling in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, although he did not apply for the proper permits.
Paris Hilton Autopsy
This life-size sculpture of Paris HiltonParis Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
depicts the heiress dead and naked with her legs spread. She is wearing a tiara
Tiara
A tiara is a form of crown. There are two possible types of crown that this word can refer to.Traditionally, the word "tiara" refers to a high crown, often with the shape of a cylinder narrowed at its top, made of fabric or leather, and richly ornamented. It was used by the kings and emperors of...
and clutching a mobile phone. Her pet Chihuahua
Chihuahua (dog)
The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
, Tinkerbell, also wearing a tiara, is featured resting its front paws on her breast. The sculpture is aimed at stopping young women from drinking and driving, a crime of which Hilton had previously been found guilty and subsequently sentenced to jail after breaking probation.
The sculpture also has an open abdominal cavity with removable life-size organs and twin fetuses, which visitors to the exhibition may hold if they wear special gloves.
The publicity around this work even attempted to incorporate a Web 2.0-style participatory element, with a contest for viewers to submit their own essays about drunk driving.
The artwork was unveiled on 11 May 2007 at Capla Kesting Fine Art in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Dead Prince Harry
A sculpture of Prince Harry depicting him dead, in military uniform, his head resting upon a Bible with a locket of his mother's clasped in his hands and with a vulture standing by his feet. Edwards suggests that the sculpture shows how Prince Harry "must have died the day they told him he couldn't serve" (in Iraq).Oprah Sarcophagus
Edwards created a half-scale model depicting Oprah's Sarcophagus at Gardenfresh Gallery in Chicago at In April 2008. The golden bronze casket lid bears an unclothed full-figure rendering of the media mogul with vertical stripes. Along side it is the artist's Oprah Burial Mask.Other works
Edwards sculpted figures of Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
for the Landmark for Peace Memorial
Landmark for Peace Memorial
The Landmark for Peace Memorial is a memorial sculpture at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park on the northside of Indianapolis that honors the contributions of the slain leaders Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
.
In 1997, Edwards spent 30 hours with former Alabama governor George C. Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
preparing to create a wax bust of Wallace.
In 2009, Edwards released "String Of Babies" depicting Nadya Suleman
Nadya Suleman
Nadya Denise Doud-Suleman , known as Octomom in the media, is an American woman who came to international attention when she gave birth to octuplets in January 2009. The Suleman octuplets are only the second full set of octuplets to be born alive in the United States...
(Octomom) as an octopus embracing the world's only surviving set of octuplets.
In 2009, Edwards brought in Cory Allen
Cory Allen
Cory Allen is an American art dealer, publicist, filmmaker, poet and promoter.Cory Allen created and served as the Director of the 2008 Vacant Era Film Festival in Norman, Oklahoma...
, a publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
who also works with tabloid artist XVALA
XVALA
XVALA was created by Jeff Hamilton . XVALA typically focuses on pieces that address celebrity and popular culture and he refers to this as "Tabloid Art"....
and artist Marilyn Artus
Marilyn Artus
Marilyn Artus is a fine artist who addresses women's issues through her work and is an art show promoter. Marilyn grew up in Norman and Tulsa, Oklahoma. She spent two years of college at Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, Texas. She then returned to Oklahoma and finished her 2 dimensional...
.
On August 9, 2009, Edwards unveiled his latest piece, a nude statue of Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is an American actress. She has received an Academy Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards, and was named Hollywood's highest-paid actress by Forbes in 2009 and 2011. Jolie is noted for promoting humanitarian causes as a Goodwill Ambassador for the...
breastfeeding twins, one African and one not.
In 2010, Edwards released the book "Blues Heads: Portraits of American Roots Music", ISBN 1452891982, through New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
publishing house, AppleParrot. The book is based on Edwards’s collection of Blues Heads he sculpted, face-to-face with famous blues musicians over a ten-year excursion around the country, visiting festivals, nightclubs and even at times, in their own homes. The book features musicians such as: Chuck Berry, Bobby Blue Bland, James Brown, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Hubert Sumlin and Ike Turner.
On August 9, 2011, pictures surfaced of a new statue Edwards had created depicting actress/singer Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez
Selena Marie Gomez is an American actress and singer best known for portraying Alex Russo in the Emmy Award-winning Disney Channel television series Wizards of Waverly Place...
with her boyfriend singer, Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
conjoined by the torso, nude, with only coverings on their private parts. Justin was given the Canadian maple leaf as a covering and Selena, the Texas star.
Documentary
In 2006, feature filmmaker A.D. CalvoA.D. Calvo
Alejandro Daniel Calvo is an Argentine-born producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Calvo was born in Buenos Aires and moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he was four. In 1974, his family relocated to the United States...
produced a series of short documentaries on Edwards and his work. His compilation was entitled La Danse Macabre: Portrait of a Serial Sculptor.
Vacant Era Films and Festival City Films is currently in production with the Daniel Edwards and XVALA
XVALA
XVALA was created by Jeff Hamilton . XVALA typically focuses on pieces that address celebrity and popular culture and he refers to this as "Tabloid Art"....
documentary titled Domestic Bliss: The Daniel Edwards/XVALA
XVALA
XVALA was created by Jeff Hamilton . XVALA typically focuses on pieces that address celebrity and popular culture and he refers to this as "Tabloid Art"....
Project and set for release fall 2009. Filmmaker Dave Smith will capture the lives’ of both artists and their latest collaboration, The Brangelina, to be unveiled in New York City, Los Angeles, London and Oklahoma City. Directed by Dave Smith and produced by Cory Allen.
External links
, a short film by A.D. CalvoA.D. Calvo
Alejandro Daniel Calvo is an Argentine-born producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Calvo was born in Buenos Aires and moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he was four. In 1974, his family relocated to the United States...
, a short film by A.D. Calvo
A.D. Calvo
Alejandro Daniel Calvo is an Argentine-born producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Calvo was born in Buenos Aires and moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he was four. In 1974, his family relocated to the United States...
, a short film by A.D. Calvo
A.D. Calvo
Alejandro Daniel Calvo is an Argentine-born producer, writer, and director.-Biography:Calvo was born in Buenos Aires and moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, when he was four. In 1974, his family relocated to the United States...
- European journal Culturekiosque comments on significance of Edwards' Paris Hilton Autopsy and other sculptures, and his play with celebrity, media, classical mythology and even search engine optimization., a Vacant Era Films and Festival City Films documentary by filmmaker Dave Smith and produced by Cory Allen, a Vacant Era Films and Festival City Films documentary by filmmaker Dave Smith and produced by Cory Allen, a clip from Vacant Era Films and Festival City Films documentary by filmmaker Dave Smith and produced by Cory Allen