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Art Brenner artist file and rendering

 Collection
Identifier: KA-0178-01

Abstract

Art Brenner (1924-2013) was a sculptor of architectural-scale abstract art in steel metal. The collection includes a file about Brenner compiled by his sister-in-law, Natasha Brenner, as well as a rendering by Art Brenner of one of his sculptures, inscribed to Natasha and Noah Brenner. Noah was Art's brother.

Dates

  • 1967-2008

Creator

Extent

0.25 Cubic Feet (6 folders)

1 DVDs (1 DVD)

Language of Materials

English

French

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of an artist file about sculptor Art Brenner compiled by his sister-in-law, Natasha Brenner, as well as a rendering by Art Brenner inscribed to Natasha and her husband, Noah Brenner, who was Art's brother. The file includes exhibition catalogs and announcements, several black and white photographs of Brenner's sculpture work and small jewelry pieces created by Brenner, journal articles, and a video recording of a CNN profile of Brenner's Parisian houseboat. Four small paper embossments, and a print of a rendering of one of Brenner's sculptures, The Chevron Variations (1998) are also included. Holiday cards and invitations in the collection bear labels indicating that they were mailed to Natasha and Noah Brenner.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research use. Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for appointment.

Conditions Governing Use

To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives and Special Collections. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu.

Biographical note

Art Brenner (born December 27, 1924, New York, New York - died August 15, 2013, Adelaide, Australia) was an American abstract modernist sculptor. After discovering an interest in art as a student in the New York City public schools system, Brenner studied at Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design, and the Chicago Institute of Art. Brenner began his artistic career as a painter of abstract expressionist works in the 1950s and early 1960s. He shifted his artistic practice toward sculpture, and moved from New York to Paris in 1964, where he lived for most of his career.

Brenner’s first solo exhibition was given in 1967 at Galerie Lucien Durand, Paris, and in 1979, he purchased a barge docked on the banks of the Seine River to use as a studio and living quarters. Brenner worked mainly in steel metal sculpture, often of architectural scale, which was abstract but contained a frequent figurative element drawn from Greek mythology, such as in his 1974, 42-foot steel sculpture, Winged Helios, which was designed for the autoroute outside Barcelona, Spain. His 20-foot steel structure, The Chevron Variations (1998), measured 345 feet long, the longest sculpture in the United Kingdom when it was created for the Blackpole Retail Park in Worcester.

Brenner was also the author of scholarly essays on art, including a noted article on the relationship between sculpture and architecture entitled, “Concerning Sculpture and Architecture,” which was published in the journal Leonardo in 1971. In 2013, Brenner retired and relocated to Adelaide, Australia, where he died in August of that year, at the age of 88.



References

“An American Sculptor in Paris.” CNN, 1995.

“Art Brenner, 1924-2013.” McCormick Gallery, Chicago. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://www.thomasmccormick.com/artists/art_brenner.

“Art Brenner: Sculpture.” ArtBrenner.com. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://www.artbrenner.com/index.html.

“A Parisian Sculptor in Adelaide.” The Advertiser, December 21, 2013, 82. https://login.libproxy.newschool.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/parisian-sculptor-adelaide/docview/1469642480/se-2?accountid=12261.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged alphabetically by subject.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated in 2019 and 2020 by Natasha Brenner, Art Brenner's sister-in-law.

Title
Guide to the Art Brenner artist file and rendering
Status
Completed
Author
Jason Adamo and New School Archives staff
Date
October 30, 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin