1978

Modern Art Foundry Casts

World War 1 Monument 

for

Saratoga Park, Brooklyn, NY

SARATOGA PARK MONUMENT (life-size figure and two honor rolls), bronze, 2014

In 1920, James S. J. Novelli, an Italian-American sculptor and prolific monument maker was commissioned to model a World War I monument for Saratoga Park in Brooklyn, NY. The Saratoga Monument consists of a granite plinth and two cast bronze honor rolls listing 106 local soldiers who died during the war that flank a life-size allegorical figure, also cast bronze. It is believed that in 1970, the two honor rolls went missing and in 2000 the figure was stolen. From that time until just a few weeks ago, the granite slab stood bare in Saratoga Park.

The Re-dedication Ceremony at Saratoga Park 

September 10, 2014

 

As part of a city parks restoration contract, working with Fina Gonzalez of WBE Unlimited Corporation, Modern Art Foundry hired professional  sculptor Anatoly S. Mikhailov to model a replica sculpture from photographs and the remaining bronze fragments of the original work. Anatoly has worked for us before, most recently modeling a life-size figure of George M. Steinbrenner III located in the main lobby of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY, and a life-size Abraham Lincoln for a private collector. In addition to modeling and casting the Saratoga figure, the two honor rolls were also recast. 

"It is almost always incredibly interesting and exciting to be part of restoring historically significant work. Using reference documents and images, you feel a sense of time travel as you set out to repeat what was once completed and presented to the public. The process from start to finish is very engaging."  ~ Jeffrey Spring

Modern Art Foundry
Astoria, New York
www.modernartfoundry.com

Anatoly S. Mikhailov website: www.amcreativeart.com
Photo Credits: Maria Mikhailov

Threading Through Decades


Max Ernst

"On a recent visit to Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, I happened upon Max Ernst's marker and was reminded of the thread some artists have made through the three generations of Modern Art Foundry. It has been in these relationships that our commitment and contribution to those who make art has been made." ~Jeffrey Spring

Max Ernst was a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and poet. He is often considered one of the pioneers of the Dada and Surrealism movements. His work "The King Playing with the Queen," was one of the featured works at the Mnuchin Gallery’s New York exhibition titled, Casting Modernity: Bronze in The XXth Century, that was cast at the foundry.

"The King Playing with the Queen," bronze, 37 7/8" x 33" x 21 1/8"

Modern Art Foundry has an extensive casting history with Max Ernst, lifetime and posthumously. He worked with John and Bob Spring, and his family has worked with Bob and Jeffrey Spring. “Our records indicate that Mr. Ernst first brought work to us in 1953. I returned from the Air Force in 1955 and I remember Mr. Ernst and his gallery at that time. I have always enjoyed Max Ernst’s sculptures.” ~Bob Spring

My conversations with Bob Spring are part of an on-going documentation of his many decades of dedication to working with artists and casting their work. To date we have reviewed his experiences with an amazing group of diverse and influential artists including Peter Agostini, Doris Caesar, Willem de Kooning, Jose de Creeft, Temima Gezari, Frank Hayden, Mary Hecht, Malvina Hoffman, Anna Hyatt Huntington, Gaston Lachaise, Jacques Lipchitz, George Lober, Paul Manship, Henry Moore, Marino Marini, Joan Miro, Ernst Neizvestny, Isamu Noguchi, John Rhoden, Luis Sanguino, George Segal, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Clemente Spampinato, William Zorach and the list keeps growing. Often these talks lead us to specific topics such as finishing techniques, patinas, installations, thoughts on commissioned commemorative design work, and the maintenance and conservation of bronze sculpture.

                                             Modern Art Foundry: Fine Art Casting Since 1932

Prepared by Patricia Bradshaw as part of:

~Bob Spring: MY LIFE INSIDE ART~

        Reflections on fifty plus years in the fine art casting business.

An on-going collection process that includes interviews, writings, and recordings for publication in print, digital, and sound mediums.

www.modernartfoundry.com

~~ Photo Credits on File

Bob Spring Visits the Mnuchin Gallery Exhibition

"Casting Modernity: Bronze in the XXth Century"

Introduction to a Series of Discussions with Bob Spring

- Prepared by Patricia Bradshaw 

A few days before its closing in June 2014, Bob and Jeffrey Spring made their way to East 78th Street in NYC to visit the exhibition titled, Casting Modernity: Bronze in the XXth Century at the Mnuchin Gallery. After reviewing promotional materials and recognizing a number of castings made at Modern Art Foundry, Jeffrey wanted his father Bob to see this show.  

- - - "In a very simple way, the exhibition unknowingly shared our history too," Jeffrey remarked.

Upon their return, I met with Mr. Spring a couple times to discuss his thoughts on the exhibition. He said he was quite taken seeing all these works, and felt a clear emotional connection. Many of these artist’s he worked with directly, providing services to assist them in their artistic pursuits. He added, "It was a nice tribute to the foundry, although most people, on first glance would not know we were involved. Even the artist’s we didn't cast for, their works sometimes made their way to our foundry when collectors need our conservation and maintenance services.” I asked Mr. Spring for some specific memories but his first thoughts mused about his father, himself, and now his daughter and son all sharing these similar experiences working with artists.

- - - He replied, “It was very nice of the gallery curator to show us around, and give us two complimentary exhibition catalogues.”

The artist’s included in the exhibit were Jean Arp, Louise Bourgeois, Constantin Brancusi, Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacomettti, Jasper Johns, Jeff Koons, Henri Laurens, Roy Lichtenstein, Marino Marini, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Henry Moore, Bruce Nauman, Isamu Noguchi, Pablo Picasso, Germaine Richier, Auguste Rodin, David Smith, and Cy Twombly. Mr. Spring recalled, "My father always told me that our purpose is to be faithful to the artists intentions. We are not critics. This principle has allowed us to work with many, many artists during the past eighty two years. We are certainly not perfect, but it is important for foundries to have good craftsman, without them you would not meet the demands of the customers."

In the next few posts I will expand on Mr. Spring’s memories and connections in more detail including working with sculptors Louise Bourgeois, Willem de Kooning, Max Ernst, Jasper Johns, Isamu Noguchi and others.

- Photo credit on file

             

Modern Art Foundry
18-70 41st Street

Astoria, NY  11105
www.modernartfoundry.com

Greg Wyatt - The Gallatin Faculty Show 2013

A group show through January 16, 2014 is on exhibition at The Gallatin Galleries of The Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. One of the featured artists is Greg Wyatt. Greg is a part time faculty member at The Gallatin School and Sculptor in Residence of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City.

In 1978 when Greg received a commission to sculpt a monumental eagle for International Headquarters of the American Bureau of Shipping in NYC. Greg chose Modern Art Foundry to make the cast. At that time, we also completed works for his exhibition at Bodley Gallery. We are pleased to have had an ongoing relationship with Greg for over thirty years, and reestablished our working relationship about six years ago, including the casting his work "Luna," the Roman goddess, for this show.

The Romans venerated "Luna" as goddess of the moon and a patron of the feminine. She was believed to inspire love and hold control over imagination through dreams. "Luna" was the deity who lifted the subconscious from its cloudy realms and brought its instinctual awareness and insight into the knowable and eternal present.

The on line ARTFIXdaily describes Greg's presentation as "an allegorical figure created with exacting attention to detail, a lyrical composition, a carefully burnished patina, and a work of art inspired by the mastery of Renaissance sculptors and inflected with a contemporary sensibility". It continues, "with her torso and legs draped in a cascading garment that suggest her close connection with the tug and pull of the moon's effect on the earth's waters".

Among the worlds preeminent sculptors working in cast bronze, Greg is well known for his public monuments including "Peace Fountain" at the Cathedral Church, and "Price of Freedom" at Arlington National Cemetery, VA to name just two of the many commissioned works on view around the globe, including at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, England and Perking University, China.

We encourage you to attend the show at The Gallatin Galleries and learn more about Greg Wyatt and all the faculty members. For more information visit:

http://www.artfixdaily.com/artwire/release/8125-new-work-by-eminent-sculptor-greg-wyatt-on-view-at-the-gallatin-g

The Gallatin Galleries are located at 1 Washington Place at Broadway, New York, NY, Mon-
Fri: 9 am–9 pm, Sat–Sun: Closed
Modern Art Foundry

18-70 41st Street, Astoria, NY  11105

718.728.2030/info@modernartfoundry.com



- Photo Credit: Greg Wyatt

Let's Take A Trip

-- On behalf of our group, I just wanted to write and thank everyone at the foundry

for the amazing tour. The tour totally exceeded our expectations. Thank you (Jeffrey)

for giving us so much of your time that morning.

(Filming of a pour at MAF)

Airing on CBS Television, “Let’s Take A Trip” was described as an informational workshop for children. Host Sonny Fox, along with young Joan and Jimmy, would travel each week to places of interest and take a tour of the facilities. Their tour would be filmed, and on October 27, 1957 the location selected was Modern Art Foundry. The week before “Let’s Take A Trip” was at sculptor's Jacques Lipchitz studio and now they wanted to learn how his plaster sculpture was cast in bronze. This was the early days of black and white television and to the best of our knowledge the first, and for some time the only, start to finish filmed production of the process of lost wax casting at Modern Art Foundry. It is a gem to watch and a true document of history, featuring scenes with first and second-generation owners John and Bob Spring.

Forty one years later, The Augustus Saint-Gaudens Foundation filmed and produced “Wax Blood, Bronze Skin” in 1998. A detailed taping following the replication of the Admiral Farragut Monument for the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Trust in Cornish, New Hampshire.

In 2009, The Gaston Lachaise Foundation released "Flesh in Ecstasy".  Filmed and directed by George Stoney and David Bagnall, and narrated by Stanley Tucci, the film is a presentation of the many letters written by Gaston to Isabel Dutaud Nagle with Modern Art Foundry’s casting of the "Standing Woman" as part of the set. This cast of "Standing Woman" is now on loan and installed in the Jardin des Tuileries, Paris France. In addition, the film includes a detailed review of the lost wax casting process with a voice over explanation from Jeffrey Spring, current president of the foundry.

(MAF staff and invited guest view "Flesh in Ecstasy" at foundry, 2009)

The celebrated “Antique Roadshow” taped a brief review at Modern Art Foundry for their series “Antique Roadshow FYI”, launched in 2005, which supplemented the PBS appraisal show, explaining how items seen on their show were manufactured.

Through our Educational Services, tours of Modern Art Foundry continue for interested groups seeking information and education in the process of casting art. The dynamic, detailed, and dramatic steps of the lost wax casting process are often beyond what the visitor is expecting, and enlightening, in that it is almost always much more than anticipated.

It’s a foundry tradition.

Learn more at: www.modernartfoundry.com

-- What an amazing experience we had two weeks ago!

Everyone is still talking about being on our most enriching tour at the foundry.

It was something that we will never forget.


Modern Art Foundry
18-70 41st Street
Astoria, NY
718-728-2030

- Photo credits on file.

MAF Designs 

Exhibits

Civil War Soldiers and Abraham Lincoln Portraits

at Belgrade Maine Public Library Event

 Lincoln, bronze, 7 x 4 x 3 in., Modern Art Foundry

On August 7, 2013, Lincoln Prize winner Dr. Elizabeth Leonard, head of the history department at Colby College, presented and took questions in response to all five of her Civil War histories at the Belgrade Public Library. These works are:

-Lincoln’s Forgotten Ally: Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt of Kentucky, 2011

-Men of Color to Arms!: Black Soldiers, Indian Wars, and the Quest for Equality, 2010

-Lincoln’s Avengers: Justice, Revenge, And Reunion After The Civil War, 2004

-All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies, 1999

-Yankee Women: Gender Battles in the Civil War, 1994

  

Lincoln's Forgotten Ally: Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt of Kentucky won Dr. Leonard the prestigious 2012 Lincoln Prize awarded annually since 1991 by the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College for the best non-fiction historical work of the year on the American Civil War. The award includes a bronze bust of the Lincoln statue created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Featured on display was MAF Designs coffee-table size portraits of Abraham Lincoln and four Civil War Soldiers. The soldier's, two of each alike, were created to represent all serving in the Civil War, and were on display in stylized patinas of blue and gray. The Lincoln portrait, shown in bonded bronze, as the bronze edition has sold out, was purchased and given as a gift from an anonymous benefactor.

It was noted that in attendance was Jay Hoar, retired professor from University of Maine, author, and Civil War researcher, who has been a presenter at prior Belgrade Civil War events.

Educational Civil War events have become a summer tradition in Belgrade, Maine and MAF Designs hopes to be asked to participate next year too.

Modern Art Foundry

Serving Artists and Communities Since 1932

www.modernartfoundry.com

-Photo credits on file