Richard Deutsch
Encyclopedia
Richard Deutsch is an American
sculptor who works primarily in the Minimalist
and Expressionist
genres. Although his work ranges from small table-top pieces to multi-story sculptures, Deutsch "is well-known for his large-scale architectural and environmental projects."
, in 1953. His grandparents emigrated to the United States from Russia
in the first decade of the 20th century. His mother worked for the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union
.
Deutsch received a Bachelor of Fine Arts
from the University of California, Santa Cruz
in 1976. He originally worked only in ceramic
s, and was influenced by Bizen ware (a type of very hard, reddish Japan
ese cermic sculpture and pottery). The first solo exhibition of his work occurred in Seattle, Washington
, in 1978. In 1981, his work was part of the "American Porcelain" exhibit at the Renwick Gallery
at the Smithsonian Institution
. (His contribution, "Equinox," is now part of the museum's permanent collection.) After several years of exhibiting on the West Coast
and making larger and larger sculptures, Deutsch decided in the mid-1980s to work in other materials (such as bronze, concrete, granite, plaster, stainless steel, and terrazzo
) and begin creating much larger artworks designed for public spaces.
In 2000, Deutsch collaborated with choreographer Liss Fain on her dance piece "Quarry." Real-time images of Deutsch at work on a sculpture ("Seven Stones," a 20 by granite piece) were transmitted via the Internet and projects onto a scrim
and four background panels while six dancers improvised movement (which was intended to make them appaer to be interacting with the Deutsch). Technical difficulties marred the performance.
Deutsch lives in Davenport, California
.
Deutsch works at a number of studio/workshops in China, Italy, and the United States, and utilizes material from around the world.
, and received a grant in 1984 from the National Endowment for the Arts
. In 2007, Santa Cruz County, California
, named him County Artist of the Year.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor who works primarily in the Minimalist
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
and Expressionist
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
genres. Although his work ranges from small table-top pieces to multi-story sculptures, Deutsch "is well-known for his large-scale architectural and environmental projects."
Life and career
Deutsch was born in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos 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 1953. His grandparents emigrated to the United States from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in the first decade of the 20th century. His mother worked for the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
.
Deutsch received a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
from the University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...
in 1976. He originally worked only in ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s, and was influenced by Bizen ware (a type of very hard, reddish Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese cermic sculpture and pottery). The first solo exhibition of his work occurred in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, in 1978. In 1981, his work was part of the "American Porcelain" exhibit at the Renwick Gallery
Renwick Gallery
The Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, located in Washington, D.C., and focuses on American craft and decorative arts from the 19th century to the 21st century...
at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. (His contribution, "Equinox," is now part of the museum's permanent collection.) After several years of exhibiting on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and making larger and larger sculptures, Deutsch decided in the mid-1980s to work in other materials (such as bronze, concrete, granite, plaster, stainless steel, and terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
) and begin creating much larger artworks designed for public spaces.
In 2000, Deutsch collaborated with choreographer Liss Fain on her dance piece "Quarry." Real-time images of Deutsch at work on a sculpture ("Seven Stones," a 20 by granite piece) were transmitted via the Internet and projects onto a scrim
Scrim
The term scrim has two separate meanings in terms of fabric. In each case, it refers to woven material, one a finely woven lightweight fabric widely used in theatre, the other a heavy, coarse woven material used for reinforcement in both building and canvasmaking.-Light gauzy material:A scrim or...
and four background panels while six dancers improvised movement (which was intended to make them appaer to be interacting with the Deutsch). Technical difficulties marred the performance.
Deutsch lives in Davenport, California
Davenport, California
Davenport is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California. Davenport sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Davenport's population was 408.-Situation:...
.
Design philosophy
Deutsch has described his more recent work as an attempt to create an "artist-driven environment" in which the audience interacts with his art by seeing it, touching it, being able to stop and contemplate it, and move through it. His public art is highly contextual, and he researches the history and setting of a site before beginning his work. His sculpture is also often collaborative, as he works with architects, engineers, and landscape architects to ensure that his art fits with the site.Deutsch works at a number of studio/workshops in China, Italy, and the United States, and utilizes material from around the world.
Noted works
The more notable of Deutsch's works include:- "Voyage," a wall-like sculpture created from massive ship propellers, installed at the City Center in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. - "Unity," a piece composed of several standing granite forms, also a City Center in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. - "Against the Day," a rock sculpture at The Collection at Chevy ChaseThe Collection at Chevy ChaseThe Collection at Chevy Chase is a high end boutique shopping center located on Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just over the border from Washington, D.C.. It is noted for its high end stores, described as a "critical mass of luxury retailers," though the center is only...
, a two-building luxury retail shopping center and 9000 feet (2,743.2 m²) park in Chevy Chase, MarylandChevy Chase, MarylandChevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
. - "Axis," a sculpture of circular granite pieces set in a wooden groove at the entrance to the School of Engineering at Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. - "Etude," a piece at the entrance to the headquarters of Applied Materials in Santa Clara, CaliforniaSanta Clara, CaliforniaSanta Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
. - A 70 short tons (63.5 MT) granite "garden" of standing stones in a memorial garden at Congregation Shir Hadash in San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
. - "Hulls," two tall, lightweight, stone-like pieces which resemble sailboat sails in front of 500 Terry Francois in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. The piece was originally intended for the intersection of Main Street and Tiburon Boulevard in Tiburon, CaliforniaTiburon, CaliforniaTiburon is an incorporated town in Marin County, California. It occupies most of the Tiburon Peninsula, which reaches south into the San Francisco Bay. The smaller city of Belvedere occupies the south-east part of the peninsula and is contiguous with Tiburon...
, was never installed. - "Legacy," a large granite sculpture in the courtyard of the Constitution Center office building in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
- "Time Signature," a series of five stainless steel stacked circular forms in front of the Foundry SquareFoundry SquareFoundry Square is a complex of four architecturally-linked, 10-story mid-rise buildings located at Howard and First Streets in the South of Market neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Each of the four buildings stands on a different corner of the street....
office building complex in San Francisco. - "Stacked Column," a black basalt structure (similar to interlocking Lincoln LogsLincoln LogsLincoln Logs is the name of a children's toy consisting of notched miniature logs, used to build miniature forts and buildings. They were invented by John L. Wright, son of the architect Frank Lloyd Wright...
) in the lobby of the Regent Bal HarbourRegent International HotelsRegent International Hotels is a brand of upper luxury hotels, currently operating nine hotels in Asia, Americas and Europe. In recent years, the brand has expanded to Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Regent Residences.-History:...
hotel in Bal Harbour, FloridaBal Harbour, FloridaBal Harbour is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,305 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bal Harbour is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of...
. - "Water Story," a 5 feet (1.5 m) high black granite "mountain" over which water flows along "riverbeds" to an "ocean" (pool) below, located in front of the California Science CenterCalifornia Science CenterThe California Science Center is a state agency and museum located in Exposition Park, Los Angeles. Billed as the West Coast's largest hands-on science center, the California ScienCenter is a public-private partnership between the State and the California Science Center Foundation...
. - "Harvest," consisting of bronze casts of farm implements welded together into a tower, which stands before the Oakland Museum of CaliforniaOakland Museum of CaliforniaOakland Museum of California or Oakland Museum is a museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California located in Oakland, California....
.
Awards and honors
Deutsch was a Visiting Artist in 1987 at the American Academy in RomeAmerican 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...
, and received a grant in 1984 from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. In 2007, Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
, named him County Artist of the Year.
External links
- Richard Deutsch Web site
- "Engineering Art", a program by KQED-TV focusing on Richard Deutsch
- Gallery of Richard Deutsch's smaller pieces at the Gerald Peters Gallery