Costantino Nivola (1911-1988) : marble, bronze, wood, tin, cement, terracotta

Opening July 12 and on view through August 14, 2007, The Drawing Room in East Hampton is pleased to present "Costantino Nivola (1911-1988)", an exhibition of sculpture in bronze, marble, terracotta, tin, cement and wood. Nivola was drawn to the qualities of various materials both high and low in modern art. This presentation of his sculpture in five media allows one to appreciate the breadth of his mythic vision for sculpture and to see the lyrical figural forms for which he is well known in Europe and America.

The majority of the small works in this show, made in the eight years before his death in 1988, are a summation of the highly abstracted figurative forms he realized also on a larger scale in marble and travertine at the quarries of Pietra Santa, Italy, and in bronze at foundries in Astoria and Rome. Three major stone figures tower over the smaller works. Two superbly carved white marbles reveal the translucence of the stone, which enhances the subtle modeling of the smooth surface that seems to wrap the figures in a silent, reverent posture. One figure appears to embrace itself while the other is proud and open to the world. Nivola was a master of the nuances in form that bring his sculptural representations of the human figure to the brink of pure abstraction. Nivola went to the edge with his figuration and held onto the human presence when he gave himself the choice.

See below for full press release and selected works.