Elizabeth de Cuevas (also known by the moniker Strong-Cuevas) (January 22, 1929 – March 19, 2023) was a French-born American sculptor born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She was known for her monumental sculpture work.
Elizabeth de Cuevas | |
|---|---|
 De Cuevas c.1970s | |
| Born | January 22, 1929 Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France |
| Died | March 19, 2023 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Art Students League of New York |
| Known for | Monumental sculpture |
| Style | Modernist |
| Family | George de Cuevas Margaret Strong de Cuevas |
| Website | strongcuevassculpture |
Early life and education
editDe Cuevas was born to Margaret Strong (a grandchild of John D. Rockefeller) and George de Cuevas, a Chilean ballet promoter.[1] She was raised in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France, Florence, Italy and New York City.[2]
She studied sculpture at the Art Students League of New York, with instructor John Hovannes, who encouraged her to carve.[2]
Career
editShe worked under the moniker Strong-Cuevas (not using her first name). Early in her career she became known for producing figurative sculptures of large heads, many of which were in profile. Later her highly abstract, cubistic and totemic works consisted of human faces rendered from multiple angles.[1]
Her early work involved stone and wood carving. In the 1970s she became associated with Marcel (Toto) Meylan who assisted her in developing her work on a monumental scale and cast works in stainless steel and bronze. Some of these were produced at Tallix Foundry (later Polich Tallix).[2]
Starting in the late 1970s de Cuevas widely exhibited her work at galleries and museums,[3] and public art venues such as Grounds for Sculpture, where several of her works are in their permanent collection.[4]
Her influences included physics and spiritual concepts. She wrote of her work, "I am trying to show the underlying unity of minds. In my negative spaces, I am showing spirit beyond matter, idea before material form.”[1]
Collections
editDe Cuevas' work is held in the permanent collections of Grounds for Sculpture,[5] Guild Hall, the Bruce Museum, the Heckscher Museum of Art, the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, among other venues.[2]
Personal life
editDe Cuevas married Joel Carmichael, a writer, in 1960. The couple had a daughter.[2]
Legacy
editTwo monographs on her work have been published by Abrams, and a documentary was produced on her life and work in 2002, and a sequel to the film premiered in 2021.[2][6]
References
edit- ^ a b c Williams, Alex (6 April 2023). "Elizabeth de Cuevas, Sculptor With a Flair for the Monumental, Dies at 94". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Carmichael, Isabel (30 March 2023). "Elizabeth de Cuevas, Sculptor". The East Hampton Star. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ "Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas". ArtNet. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas, Grounds for Sculpture. Accessed April 9, 2023.
- ^ "Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas". Grounds for Sculpture. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ Madden, Christina L. (7 July 2022). "Strong-Cuevas: A Prolific Artist with An Extraordinary Life". Park Magazine. Retrieved 9 April 2023.