Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood: 40 YRS

Contemporary Sculpture At Chesterwood: 40 YRS
June 300–October 8, 2018
Curated By Maxwell Davidson III & Charles C. Davidson, Maxwell Davidson Gallery, NYC

“40 YRS” is in celebration of “Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood,” of its commitment to preservation and to art, and of its continually expanding and forward-looking vision,” said co-curator Charles C. Davidson. “This show takes from some of the finest sculptors of a century of art-making, presents them outside the traditional gallery or museum space, and creates a relationship between past and present, artist and institution, and, most importantly, between art and viewer.
–Co-Curator Charles C. Davidson

In 2018, Chesterwood is commemorating forty years of exhibiting outdoor contemporary sculpture at Daniel Chester French’s former home and studio in Stockbridge, MA. The very first Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood exhibition featured George Rickey’s two stainless steel Rickey sculptures: Two Planes, Horizontal and Vertical and One Up, One Down Eccentric. Forty years later his work continues to be relevant and eagerly sought after for outdoor public spaces and museum collections. Kinetic sculpture by Rickey and others will be featured in the exhibition at Chesterwood from June 30– October 8, 2018.

Chesterwood is notably one of the earliest venues in the United States to showcase large-scale works in an outdoor setting. The idea for a contemporary outdoor sculpture show was initiated at a Chesterwood council meeting in October, 1974. While the council suggested featuring neo-classical works to reflect the style and legacy of Daniel Chester French, the 1978 inaugural exhibition included ground-breaking abstract works forged from materials such as cement, lucite, and steel. Since then, Chesterwood has exhibited sculpture by almost six hundred emerging and established artists, including Leonard Baskin, Morgan Bulkeley, Herbert Ferber, Glenda Goodacre, Albert Paley, and Richard Stankiewicz. Following the inaugural exhibition, George Rickey contributed works to six more exhibitions spanning the years from 1985 to 2001.

The 2018 Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood exhibition (free printable map available here) is generously sponsored by the Nancy Woodson Spire Foundation and co-curated by Maxwell Davidson III and Charles Davidson of the Maxwell Davidson Gallery in New York. Founded in 1968, the Maxwell Davidson Gallery has maintained an involvement in and commitment to the field of kinetic sculpture; the gallery has long established itself as a pioneer in the field of kinetic art worldwide and presented Outdoor Kinetic Sculpture, George Rickey, Pedro S. de Movellán in July 2017.