Don Gummer

Don Gummer (born December 12, 1946)[1] is an American sculptor. His early work concentrated on table-top and wall-mounted sculpture; but, in the mid-1980s, he shifted his focus to large free-standing works, often in bronze. In the 1990s, he added a variety of other materials, such as stainless steel, aluminum and stained glass. His interest in large outdoor works also led him to an interest in public art. He is the husband of actress Meryl Streep.

Don Gummer
Don Gummer in 2011
Born
Donald Gummer

(1946-12-12) December 12, 1946
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationHerron School of Art and Design
Yale School of Art
Known forSculpture
Spouse(s)
(
m. after 1978)

Style

Critic Irving Sandler (writing in Art in America, January 2005) has noted that Gummer's work is recognizably rooted in constructivism, but also writes that "in extending and deflecting Constructivist art in a new direction, Gummer has rendered it peculiarly contemporary." Sandler also writes that Gummer's works "give postmodern life to classic principles of abstract composition." [2]

Early life and career

Gummer was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on December 12, 1946, and grew up in Indiana. He studied at Ben Davis High School, Indianapolis, and then at the Herron School of Art[3] from 1964 to 1966. From 1966 to 1970, he studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, and then completed his studies at the Yale School of Art where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and studied with David von Schlegell.[4]

Gummer's first solo show was in 1973. Since then, his works have been featured at two dozen solo shows at museums and galleries around the East Coast and Midwest. His work has also been exhibited in group shows.[5]

Gummer's commissioned works have included Primary Compass (2000), a site-specific outdoor permanent sculpture at the Butler Institute of American Art,[6] Youngstown, Ohio and a sculpture/fountain in Historic New Harmony, New Harmony, Indiana.[7] One stainless steel and stained glass sculpture, Southern Circle, standing 25 feet (7.6 m) tall and weighing approximately 20,000 pounds, was commissioned by the city of Indianapolis and dedicated in October, 2004. "Primary Separation", a permanent installation at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, was completed in 2006.[7]

Personal life

Gummer, the son of Dorothy Ann (née Jacobson) and William Adolph Gummer, has five brothers: William, Jack, Richard, Steven, and Mark. He married Peggy Lucas in the early seventies but divorced shortly after. Gummer married actress Meryl Streep on September 30, 1978.[8] They have four children: musician Henry Wolfe, model Louisa, and actresses Mamie and Grace.[9] Gummer and Streep are active philanthropists who donate to a range of arts organizations and educational institutions, including Vassar College, Opus School in Harlem, and the Silver Mountain Arts Foundation.

Public collections
  • The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, US
  • Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, US
  • Chemical Bank, New York, US
  • Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science, Evansville, Indiana, US
  • The Equitable, New York, US
  • Hiroshima Lying-in Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
  • International Creative Management, New York, US
  • House of Music (1993) - Kitakyushu International Center, Kitakyushu, Japan
  • Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek, Denmark
  • McCrory Corporation, New York, US
  • Joseph E. Seagram Company, New York, US
  • Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, US
  • Cyberinfrastructure Building, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, US
  • Open Eyes and The South Tower, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, US
gollark: No, Ale, my cabling has been replaced with bronze.
gollark: What does it say?
gollark: Copper? Really? I mean, gold would be *okay*, but really you need platinum to carry that 10W of USB power.
gollark: Just say in your review "cable conducts electricity" but obviously provide several pages of the precise specs of this cable including measured resistance, maximum power/current/voltage, etc.
gollark: I'm using [MangoDB](https://github.com/dcramer/mangodb) instead.

References
  1. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51f826a2e4b07e1682e51d1e/t/5ad79be1f950b7232cd4b59e/1524079585524/2018+Bio.pdf
  2. Deconstructive constructivist: over more than 30 years, Don Gummer has moved from architecturally influenced installations to intricate, large-scale sculptures that give postmodern life to classic principles of abstract composition | Art in America |...
  3. http://www.indystar.com/story/life/2016/08/29/culture-trail-get-infusion-art-don-gummer/89257668/
  4. Smith, Roberta (1992-10-06). "David von Schlegell, Abstract Artist, Is Dead at 72". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  5. "Don Gummer - Artists - Austin Art Projects". www.austinartprojects.com. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  6. http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2010/11/butler_institute_of_american_a.html
  7. http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=11&int_new=16619&int_modo=1#.Wde_44aQwUE
  8. https://m.imdb.com/name/nm3149786/bio
  9. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/mamma-mia-2

Books

Media related to Don Gummer at Wikimedia Commons

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