Costantino Nivola [1911-1988]: terracotta, reliefs and figures

On view September 5 through October 13, 2014, The Drawing Room is pleased to present a unique collection of terracotta reliefs and figurative sculptures by Costantino Nivola [1911-1988], the internationally recognized sculptor from Sardinia who settled in Springs, New York in the late 1940s. Within his oeuvre, the terracotta tableaus are the only works inspired by the local beaches and the sunbathers they attracted. Working into square, 15-inch slabs of wet clay in 2-inch thick relief, Nivola shaped this sensual medium with a masterful touch, bringing to life the reveries of the human figure at play and at rest.

Trained as a stonemason in Sardinia, Nivola later studied art and design in Milan and Paris. By the time he settled in New York City and in Springs, New York in 1948, his evolution had resulted in an ingenious, intuitive approach to the plastic arts. Renown for his collaborations with architects such as Le Corbusier and Eero Saarinen, from the 1950s to the 1970s Nivola’s mural designs and large-scale reliefs enlivened modernist concrete architecture through public commissions in the U.S. and Europe. At the same time, he developed an important body of marble and travertine sculpture in the round, often working in the stone yards of Pietrasanta, Italy, where many exhibitions of his art took place. In Springs, where he lived with his wife Ruth, a jewelry designer, and their family, he treasured his studio time creating small scale sculpture in techniques such as wax and clay for bronze casting. Outside in his garden, he mixed sand with plaster or cement to achieve new textures for his ever-evolving exploration of three dimensions.

See below for full press release and selected works.