Leroy Lamis
Encyclopedia
Leroy Lamis was an American sculptor, digital artist and art educator known for his work with Plexiglas. His works have been exhibited throughout the United States and Europe and are in the permanent collections of numerous institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art
and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
.
on September 27, 1925, and later moved to Los Angeles
. As a teenager, he had a job with MGM Studios. Lamis went on to attend New Mexico Highlands University
and Columbia University
.
In 1954 Lamis married Esther Sackler.
in Mount Vernon, Iowa
, he took a position at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Lamis taught there in the studio art and art history disciplines from 1961-1988. In 1970 Lamis was the Artist in Residence at Dartmouth College
.
In the early 1960s, Lamis and his cubist sculptures were well received in New York City
, and he was invited to join the Contemporaries Gallery. His works were featured in the annual exhibit of the Whitney Museum of American Art
in 1964, and in 1965 his work was included in the Museum of Modern Art
's exhibit The Responsive Eye.
Lamis was represented by the Staempfli Gallery (New York) from 1965 to 1971. During this time his work was featured across the United States. He was also a member of the American Abstract Artists
.
, which he read about as an art student, particularly the theories of Naum Gabo
, Antoine Pevsner
and Richard Lippold
. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Lamis worked with sheet acrylic (Poly(methyl methacrylate), more commonly called Plexiglas), drawn to its reflective and refractive qualities. Many of his works were precisely-measured, abstractly geometric cubes named Construction sequentially, such as Construction #31 (1963) at the Loretta Howard Gallery, Construction #48 (1964), in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum
, and Construction #208 (1972), at the Swope Art Museum
in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In the late 1970s Lamis became interested in computer-generated work. He taught himself computer programming
and began creating geometric two-dimensional and three-dimensional art based on geometric shapes. A representative example is the lithograph Untitled: Computer Generated Image (1987), printed by Atelier Franck Bordas and in the collections of both the Metropolitan Museum of Art
and the Smithsonian American Art Museum
.
In addition to printed work, Lamis also created digital projections, such as Untitled #35 (1998–99), part of the 1999 New York Digital Salon.
One of Lamis's tools of choice for his digital art was the IBM PCjr
, which, according to his wife Esther, he began using around its release in 1984 and was still working with as late as 1998, long after the particular computer model had been discontinued.
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...
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...
.
Early life
Lamis was born in Eddyville, IowaEddyville, Iowa
Eddyville is a city in Mahaska, Monroe, and Wapello Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 1,024 at the 2010 census.-History:...
on September 27, 1925, and later moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. As a teenager, he had a job with MGM Studios. Lamis went on to attend New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Highlands University
New Mexico Highlands University is a public university located in Las Vegas, New Mexico.-History:The university was first established as New Mexico Normal School in 1893, with the prominent archaeologist Edgar Lee Hewett serving as its first president...
and Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
In 1954 Lamis married Esther Sackler.
Professional life
After a time teaching at Cornell CollegeCornell College
Cornell College is a private liberal arts college in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Originally called the Iowa Conference Seminary, the school was founded in 1853 by Reverend Samuel M. Fellows...
in Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon, Iowa
Mount Vernon is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the city of Lisbon. The city's population was 3,390 when the 2000 census figures were released, but that number was later revised to 3,808 because the Census Bureau had incorrectly reported that 418 residents of a Cornell...
, he took a position at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. Lamis taught there in the studio art and art history disciplines from 1961-1988. In 1970 Lamis was the Artist in Residence at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
.
In the early 1960s, Lamis and his cubist sculptures were well received 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...
, and he was invited to join the Contemporaries Gallery. His works were featured in the annual exhibit of the 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...
in 1964, and in 1965 his work was included in the 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...
's exhibit The Responsive Eye.
Lamis was represented by the Staempfli Gallery (New York) from 1965 to 1971. During this time his work was featured across the United States. He was also a member of the American Abstract Artists
American Abstract Artists
American Abstract Artists was formed in 1936 in New York City, to promote and foster public understanding of abstract art. American Abstract Artists exhibitions, publications, and lectures helped to establish the organization as a major forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas, and for...
.
Works and honors
Lamis was strongly influenced by constructivismConstructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
, which he read about as an art student, particularly the theories of Naum Gabo
Naum Gabo
Naum Gabo KBE, born Naum Neemia Pevsner was a prominent Russian sculptor in the Constructivism movement and a pioneer of Kinetic Art.-Early life:...
, Antoine Pevsner
Antoine Pevsner
Antoine Pevsner was a Belarusian and Russian sculptor and the older brother of Alexii Pevsner and Naum Gabo. Both Antoine and Naum are considered pioneers of twentieth-century sculpture.Pevsner was born in Klimavichy, Belarus...
and Richard Lippold
Richard Lippold
Richard Lippold was an American sculptor, known for his geometric constructions using wire as a medium....
. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Lamis worked with sheet acrylic (Poly(methyl methacrylate), more commonly called Plexiglas), drawn to its reflective and refractive qualities. Many of his works were precisely-measured, abstractly geometric cubes named Construction sequentially, such as Construction #31 (1963) at the Loretta Howard Gallery, Construction #48 (1964), in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
, and Construction #208 (1972), at the Swope Art Museum
Swope Art Museum
The Sheldon Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, was originally funded by a bequest from Michael Sheldon Swope , a Civil War veteran and jeweler who lived in Terre Haute much of his adult life. Planning for the art museum began on September 26, 1939, and the museum was officially open to the...
in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In the late 1970s Lamis became interested in computer-generated work. He taught himself computer programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
and began creating geometric two-dimensional and three-dimensional art based on geometric shapes. A representative example is the lithograph Untitled: Computer Generated Image (1987), printed by Atelier Franck Bordas and in the collections of both the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
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...
.
In addition to printed work, Lamis also created digital projections, such as Untitled #35 (1998–99), part of the 1999 New York Digital Salon.
One of Lamis's tools of choice for his digital art was the IBM PCjr
IBM PCjr
The IBM PCjr was IBM's first attempt to enter the home computer market. The PCjr, IBM model number 4860, retained the IBM PC's 8088 CPU and BIOS interface for compatibility, but various design and implementation decisions led the PCjr to be a commercial failure.- Features :Announced November 1,...
, which, according to his wife Esther, he began using around its release in 1984 and was still working with as late as 1998, long after the particular computer model had been discontinued.