James Surls
Encyclopedia
James Surls is an American
modernist sculptor. He earned a BS
from Sam Houston State University
and an MFA
from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 1998, he moved from Splendora, Texas
to Carbondale, Colorado
.
He is known for his large unpainted wooden sculptures that have images burned into them. He often adds bent steel wires. In 2009, five Surls bronze-and-steel bouquets were set up on Park Avenue
by the New York City
Parks Public Art Program and the fund for Park Avenue.
(Dallas, Texas
), the El Paso Museum of Art
(El Paso, Texas
), the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art (University of Oklahoma
), the Meadows Museum
(Southern Methodist University
, Dallas, Texas
), the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
(Memphis, Tennessee
), the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
(Fort Worth, Texas
) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
(Washington, DC) are among the public collections holding work by James Surls.
Other public collections are:
Albright Knox Gallery (Buffalo, NY); American Telephone & Telegraph
(New York, NY); Arkansas Art Center (Little Rock, AR); Bennington Museum (Bennington, VT); Contemporary Arts Museum
(Houston, TX); Contemporary Museum
(Honolulu, HI); Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo (Mexico City, Mexico); Dallas Museum of Fine Arts (Dallas, TX); El Paso Museum of Art
(El Paso, TX); Fort Worth Art, Museum (Fort Worth, TX); High Museum (Atlanta, GA); Katonah Museum (Katonah, NY); Liquid Paper Corporation (Dallas, TX); Los Angeles County Museum
(Los Angeles, CA); Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX); Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
(Memphis, TN); Memphis Museum of Art (Memphis, TN); Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
(Chicago, IL); Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
(Fort Worth, TX); Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
(Montgomery, AL); Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Caracas (Venezuela); Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX); Museum of Modern Art
(New York, NY); McNay Art Museum
(San Antonio, TX); Nelson-Atkins Museum (Kansas City, MO); Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
(Pittsburgh, PA); Portland Art Museum
(Portland, OR); San Antonio Art Museum (San Antonio, TX); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
(San Francisco, CA); Seattle Art Museum
(Seattle, WA); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
(New York, NY); Stedelijk Museum
(Amsterdam); Tyler Museum of Art (Tyler, TX); University of Nebraska Art Galleries (Lincoln, NE); Waco Art Center (Waco, TX); Whitney Museum of American Art
(New York, NY); Witte memorial museum (San Antonio, TX).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
modernist sculptor. He earned a BS
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
and an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. In 1998, he moved from Splendora, Texas
Splendora, Texas
Splendora is a town in Montgomery County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,275 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Splendora is located at ....
to Carbondale, Colorado
Carbondale, Colorado
Carbondale is a Home Rule Municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,196 at the 2000 census. The town is located in the mid valley of the Roaring Fork River, downstream from Aspen and upstream from the mouth of the Roaring Fork at Glenwood Springs. The town...
.
He is known for his large unpainted wooden sculptures that have images burned into them. He often adds bent steel wires. In 2009, five Surls bronze-and-steel bouquets were set up on Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
by the 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...
Parks Public Art Program and the fund for Park Avenue.
Public collections
The Dallas Museum of ArtDallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art is a major art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, USA, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In 1984, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Arts District, Dallas, Texas...
(Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
), the El Paso Museum of Art
El Paso Museum of Art
Founded in 1959, The El Paso Museum of Art is located in downtown El Paso, Texas. First accredited in 1972, it is the only accredited art museum within a 250 mile radius and serves approximately 100,000 visitors per year. A new building was completed in 1998...
(El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
), the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art (University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
), the Meadows Museum
Meadows Museum
The Meadows Museum is a museum in Dallas, USA. A division of the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts, houses one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Spanish art outside of Spain, with works dating from the 10th to the 20th century...
(Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
), the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis.The original...
(Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
), the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth was first granted a Charter from the State of Texas in 1892 as the "Fort Worth Public Library and Art Gallery", evolving through several name changes and different facilities in Fort Worth...
(Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
(Washington, DC) are among the public collections holding work by James Surls.
Other public collections are:
Albright Knox Gallery (Buffalo, NY); American Telephone & Telegraph
American Telephone & Telegraph
AT&T Corp., originally American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American telecommunications company that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications and professional services to businesses, consumers, and government agencies. AT&T is the oldest telecommunications company...
(New York, NY); Arkansas Art Center (Little Rock, AR); Bennington Museum (Bennington, VT); Contemporary Arts Museum
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
The Contemporary Arts Museum – Houston is a not-for-profit institution in Houston, Texas, dedicated to presenting the contemporary art of our time to the public....
(Houston, TX); Contemporary Museum
The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu
The now defunct Contemporary Museum, Honolulu was the only museum in the state of Hawaii devoted exclusively to contemporary art. The Contemporary Museum had two venues: in residential Honolulu at the historic Spalding House, and downtown Honolulu at First Hawaiian Center.-Collection:Artists...
(Honolulu, HI); Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo (Mexico City, Mexico); Dallas Museum of Fine Arts (Dallas, TX); El Paso Museum of Art
El Paso Museum of Art
Founded in 1959, The El Paso Museum of Art is located in downtown El Paso, Texas. First accredited in 1972, it is the only accredited art museum within a 250 mile radius and serves approximately 100,000 visitors per year. A new building was completed in 1998...
(El Paso, TX); Fort Worth Art, Museum (Fort Worth, TX); High Museum (Atlanta, GA); Katonah Museum (Katonah, NY); Liquid Paper Corporation (Dallas, TX); Los Angeles County Museum
Los Angeles County Museum
The Los Angeles County Museum may refer to:* Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County* Los Angeles County Museum of Art...
(Los Angeles, CA); Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX); Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in Overton Park in Midtown Memphis.The original...
(Memphis, TN); Memphis Museum of Art (Memphis, TN); Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority
The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, commonly known as McPier or MPEA, is a corporation that was created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1989 from the Metropolitan Fair and Exposition Authority by the "Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority Act". It owns and manages several...
(Chicago, IL); Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth was first granted a Charter from the State of Texas in 1892 as the "Fort Worth Public Library and Art Gallery", evolving through several name changes and different facilities in Fort Worth...
(Fort Worth, TX); Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts
The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is a museum located in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, featuring several art collections. For seventy years, the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts has been a showcase for the visual arts in Central Alabama...
(Montgomery, AL); Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Caracas (Venezuela); Museum of Fine Arts (Houston, TX); Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
(New York, NY); McNay Art Museum
McNay Art Museum
The McNay Art Museum, founded in 1950 in San Antonio, is the first modern art museum in the State of Texas. The museum was created by Marion Koogler McNay's original bequest of most of her fortune, her important art collection and her 24-room Spanish Colonial Revival-style mansion that sits on ...
(San Antonio, TX); Nelson-Atkins Museum (Kansas City, MO); Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts is a non-profit community arts campus that offers arts education programs and contemporary art exhibitions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
(Pittsburgh, PA); Portland Art Museum
Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it the oldest art museum on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the United States. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum became one of the twenty-five largest art museums in...
(Portland, OR); San Antonio Art Museum (San Antonio, TX); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
(San Francisco, CA); Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Art Museum
The Seattle Art Museum is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington, USA. It maintains three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill, and the Olympic Sculpture Park on the central Seattle waterfront, which opened on...
(Seattle, WA); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
(New York, NY); Stedelijk Museum
Stedelijk Museum
Founded in 1874, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is a museum for classic modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It has been housed on the Paulus Potterstraat, next to Museum Square Museumplein and to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw, in Amsterdam Zuid...
(Amsterdam); Tyler Museum of Art (Tyler, TX); University of Nebraska Art Galleries (Lincoln, NE); Waco Art Center (Waco, TX); Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
(New York, NY); Witte memorial museum (San Antonio, TX).