Richard MacDonald

Richard Macdonald
Nationality	American
Known for	Sculpture
Notable work	The Flair, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Movement	Realism (visual arts)

Richard MacDonald (born 6 June 1946), is a California-based contemporary figurative artist known for his bronze sculptures. MacDonald is among the most collected present-day figurative sculptors. Educated in painting and illustration, but a self-taught sculptor, his work has been described as "paying tribute to the eloquence of the human form". He has been an advocate of neo-realism and figurative art, fostering emerging and professional artists through annual international Masters Workshops.

Biography

American master sculptor Richard MacDonald was recognized for creating figurative sculpture inspired by his personal exploration of "human theater." He achieved success as a commercial illustrator until his late thirties, when a disastrous fire destroyed the artist's studio, along with the accumulated works of his career as painter and illustrator. Subsequently, he began sculpting in earnest and became one of the most collected sculptors in America within ten years. His work has been acquired for the permanent collections of corporations such as AT&T, IBM, and Anheuser-Busch, as well as the private collections of celebrities, politicians, heads of state and international dignitaries.

Method

Artist in London Studio, working with dancer Sergei Polunin

MacDonald's work portrays "the beauty of the human body and the spirit that drives it." He works consistently with models throughout the process of creating a sculpture, often celebrated dancers, performers and athletes. MacDonald draws and sculpts his subjects over and over, often requiring models to repeat a specific dance move or spontaneous gesture. This may include small, quick sketches in an oil-base plasticine clay that are refined and enlarged as required to complete a particular piece. A mold is used to create editions in bronze through the "lost wax" technique. For each of MacDonald's work he creates the final patina or surface coloration, which is subsequently duplicated by the patina artists on his staff for the remainder of the edition. The final patinated bronze is affixed to a marble base, also designed and selected by the artist as part of the overall sculptural composition.

Monuments

US Open Golf Championship

The 15-foot-tall, 10,000-pound sculpture sits atop a 22,000-pound granite base, installed at the Peter Hay Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California to commemorate the 100th U.S. Open Golf Championship. The sculpture accurately portrays the mechanics of an ideal golfer swing. The granite base features the names of the first 100 winners of the U.S. Open. The reverse side provides space for the next hundred winners.

Bronze Flair

The Flair

For the 1996 Summer Olympics, MacDonald created the "Flair," a 26-foot-tall sculpture of a gymnast. As with all the monuments he has completed, MacDonald designed the plaza on which The Flair sits, including a large reflective pool and fountain.

Royal Ballet

MacDonald has embarked on a monument to Dame Ninette DeValois, founder of the Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet Schoool. The memorial is to be installed in 2012 at White Lodge, Richmond Park, London, a historic Royal Retreat now home to the Royal Ballet School. This work-in-progress is currently in development at the artist's studios in California and London. Additional monument commissions include: Secretary of State William H. Seward, Z. J. Loussac Public Library, Anchorage, Alaska, 1990; Stephen F. Austin, Texas Susquicentennial, Stephen F. Austin University, Austin, Texas, 1986; Rain, City of Concord, California, 1992; Architectonica, MGM Film Group, Inc., MGM Corporate Center, 1987 and The Gymnast, permanent collection of The National Art Museum of Sport, 1986

Joie de Vivre

Blind Faith

Richard MacDonald quotes

• "Art transcends all human boundaries. It is a gift of almost inexplicable, magical energy. When our hearts, through our senses, are touched by art, our lives are enhanced."
• “It is a work that speaks to you without words. It is an inexplicable magic that you were not aware of, until you saw it… that you had no idea of, when you were creating it. But once created, its energy and its life, even though in bronze, last for eternity.”
• “When I connect with a being in motion, I feel it’s intent: the tango dancer’s compassion, the juggler’s faith, the cheetah’s independence. It is that common intent that I want to convey. I want my art to remind people of their own intent. I want people to know they are not alone, but are bound to the human race by our common experience.”

References

• Cirque du Sculpture, American Art Collector Magazine, 2007
• Spirit of Life by Laurie McLaughlin, ArtSpace Magazine, December 2006
• Richard MacDonald, Collected Works by RMD, Hudson Hills Press
• Southern Accents Magazine, Nov/Dec. 1984
• Art Talk, January 1996
• American Artist Magazine, August 1996
• Southwest Art Magazine, July 1997
• American Artist Magazine, November 1999
• Richard MacDonald Sculpture, September 1999
• The World and I, Vol. 16, No. 5, 2001

Sources

• Richard MacDonald, 1999, Gardner Lithograph Press ISBN 0-9673425-0-3
• City of Art, Kansas City’s Public Art, 2001
• International Encyclopedia Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art 2000/2001
• Millenium Collection, 2002

External links

• Official Website
• Richard MacDonald Masters Workshops
• Dawson Cole Fine Art
• Art of Richard MacDonald