Maria Elena González
Encyclopedia
María Elena González is a Cuban-American artist best known for her sculptural
installations that are architecturally as well as personally informed. In 1999, González received widespread acclaim for her site-specific
outdoor sculpture, Magic Carpet/Home. Commissioned by the Public Art Fund
, it was originally installed in Brooklyn
, New York
, and subsequently in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and Los Angeles, California
. In the summer of 2005, González was a resident faculty member at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In 2005 and 2008, she was also a Visiting Artist faculty member at the Cooper Union School of Art. Her homes and studios are in Brooklyn and at Basel
in Switzerland
.
, and an MA in sculpture in 1983 from San Francisco State University
. She had her first solo exhibition in New York in 1991 at the Nuyorican Poets Café
. González has been awarded grants from organizations that include the Cintas Foundation (1989, 1994); the Pollock-Krasner Foundation
(1991, 1998); Anonymous Was a Woman (1997); the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation (1997); the Joan Mitchell Foundation (1998); the Creative Capital Foundation (1999, 2001); The Cuban Artists Fund (2000); the Penny McCall Foundation (2001); and the New York State Council on the Arts
(2003). She was recipient of a Prix de Rome
from the American Academy in Rome
for 2003–04, and was a 2006 Guggenheim Fellow
.
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
installations that are architecturally as well as personally informed. In 1999, González received widespread acclaim for her site-specific
Site-specific art
Site-specific art is artwork created to exist in a certain place. Typically, the artist takes the location into account while planning and creating the artwork...
outdoor sculpture, Magic Carpet/Home. Commissioned by the Public Art Fund
Public Art Fund
The Public Art Fund is a non-profit organization founded in 1977 by Doris Freedman , a Director of New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs, and the President of the Municipal Art Society. They have organized highly visible artists' projects, new commissions, installations and exhibitions in...
, it was originally installed in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, 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...
, and subsequently in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. In the summer of 2005, González was a resident faculty member at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In 2005 and 2008, she was also a Visiting Artist faculty member at the Cooper Union School of Art. Her homes and studios are in Brooklyn and at Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Education and awards
González received a BFA in 1979 from Florida International UniversityFlorida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
, and an MA in sculpture in 1983 from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
. She had her first solo exhibition in New York in 1991 at the Nuyorican Poets Café
Nuyorican Poets Café
The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...
. González has been awarded grants from organizations that include the Cintas Foundation (1989, 1994); the Pollock-Krasner Foundation
Pollock-Krasner Foundation
The Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 for the purpose of providing financial assistance to individual working artists of established ability. It was established at the bequest of Lee Krasner, who was an American abstract expressionist painter and the widow of fellow painter Jackson...
(1991, 1998); Anonymous Was a Woman (1997); the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation (1997); the Joan Mitchell Foundation (1998); the Creative Capital Foundation (1999, 2001); The Cuban Artists Fund (2000); the Penny McCall Foundation (2001); and the New York State Council on the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell , with backing from Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and began its work in 1961...
(2003). She was recipient of a Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
from the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
for 2003–04, and was a 2006 Guggenheim Fellow
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
.
Selected solo exhibitions
- Galerie Gisèle Linder, Basel, Switzerland (2005, 2009)
- Knoedler & Company, New York (2006, 2008)
- The Project, New York (1999–2006)
- The Contemporary Museum, HonoluluThe Contemporary Museum, HonoluluThe 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...
(2006) - DiverseWorks, Houston, Art Museum of the University of MemphisArt Museum of the University of MemphisThe Art Museum of the University of Memphis is located at 3750 Norriswood Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. It is the principal art museum of the University of Memphis...
, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, and Art in GeneralArt in GeneralArt in General is a non-profit contemporary art exhibition space in New York, New York. Founded in 1981 in by artists Martin Weinstein and Teresa Liszka, Art in General is a nonprofit organization that assists artists with the production and presentation of new work...
, New York (2002–03) - Center for Art and Visual Culture, University of MarylandUniversity of MarylandWhen the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
, BaltimoreBaltimoreBaltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
(2002) - The Bronx Museum of Art (2002)
- Los Angeles Contemporary ExhibitionsLos Angeles Contemporary ExhibitionsLocated in Hollywood, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions is a nonprofit exhibition space and archive of the visual arts for the city of Los Angeles, California, USA...
(LACE), a Creative Capital Foundation Project, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos 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...
(2002) - Ludwig Foundation, Havana, Cuba (2000)
- Public Art Fund, Public Art Project, Brooklyn (1999)
- El Museo del BarrioEl Museo del BarrioEl Museo del Barrio, New York’s leading Latino visual arts cultural institution, is located in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York City, United States, also known as El Barrio. The museum welcomes visitors of all backgrounds to discover the artistic landscape of the Latino, Caribbean, and...
, New York (1996–97).
Selected group exhibitions
- the Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Switzerland (2008)
- the National Academy Museum & School of Fine Arts, New York (2008)
- the Solomon R. Guggenheim MuseumSolomon R. Guggenheim MuseumThe 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 (2007) - Miami Art MuseumMiami Art MuseumThe Miami Art Museum is an art museum located in Downtown Miami, Florida, in the United States. It was founded in 1984 as the Center for the Fine Arts, and in 1996 became the Miami Art Museum...
(2005–06) - P.S. 1 / MoMA Contemporary Art Center, New York (2000, 2003)
Public collections
- Kunstmuseum BaselKunstmuseum BaselThe Kunstmuseum Basel houses the largest and most significant public art collection in Switzerland, and is listed as a heritage site of national significance. Its lineage extends back to the Amerbach Cabinet purchased by the city of Basel in 1661, which made it the first municipally owned museum...
, Switzerland - The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Maxine & Stuart Frankel Foundation for Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
- the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
, Providence - North Carolina Museum of ArtNorth Carolina Museum of ArtThe North Carolina Museum of Art is an art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina, featuring paintings and sculpture representing 5,000 years of artistic work from antiquity to the present. The museum features more than 40 galleries as well as more than a dozen works of art in its Museum Park...
, Raleigh - Museum Biedermann, DonaueschingenDonaueschingenDonaueschingen is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar Kreis. It stands near the confluence of the two sources of the river Danube ....
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - Museum voor Moderne Kunst, ArnhemArnhemArnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
, The Netherlands - The New School for Social Research, New York
- Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst, GhentGhentGhent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Belgium.
Selected bibliography
- Brillembourg, Carlos "Maria Elena González," Bomb (Winter 2002-03)
- Chadwick, Whitney Maria Elena González: Suspension. New York: Knoedler & Company, 2008
- Cotter, Holland "Maria Elena González," The New York Times (January 20, 2006)
- Durant, Mary Alice Maria Elena González: Selected Works, 1996–2002. Baltimore: Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, 2002
- Heartney, Eleanor Maria Elena González: Internal DupliCity. New York: Knoedler & Company, 2006
- Princenthal, Nancy, et al. UnReal Estates: Maria Elena González. Houston: DiverseWorks, 2002
- Schwendener, Martha "Maria Elena González: Art in General," Artforum (January 2004)
External links
- Maria Elena González is represented in New York by Knoedler & Company
- BOMB magazine interview by Carlos Brillembourg
- Kunstbulletin
- The Brooklyn Rail review of Internal DupliCity at Knoedler & Co. gallery 2006