Studio View 1

 

Standing Female Figure

 This came up for auction in France in the Fall of 19.  Wasn't sold.  I missed the auction and didn't find out about it till months later.  Shit! 

     Must have been done when he was there in the 1930s on a Guggenheim Fellowship.  Always great to come acroos something of his I haven't yet seen!

Seated Figure Environment by Antonio Salemme 1892-1995

Krishna Devi, 23"x30", Imaginary Portrait

An Imaginary Portrait by Antonio Salemme 1892-1995, 23"x30"

Note the subtlety of color and recognize the brilliance of the spontaneous in action.  A true balance of motif, brush, color and Artist's personality!  the tao of painting.

Head of Gerald Heard

Environment - terra cotta about 12" high

Environment - terra cotta about 12" high

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

figure , pen and ink, 20"x30"

Radha and Krishna, 23"x28"

Radha and Krishna, 23"x28"

Siva and Parvati #Hindu #sculpture by Antonio Salemme (1892-1995) #art

 Antonio loved Hinduism.  He created many sculptures and paintings based in and on Hindu mythology.  Here is his rendition of Siva and Parvati.  It is an environment about 18" high.  The profundity of Antonio's work is his deep grounding in western classicism and his direct, original take on the 'East'.  His work is truly the synthesis of east and west.
      He actually studied Hinduism with Swami Brahmananda in NYC at one point, guru brother to Swami Vivekananda.  They were disciples of Sri Ramakrishna.

His half lifesize sculpture of Swami Brahmananda

     Antonio ended up practicing zen and sat zazen 2 hours daily from the age of 59.  Just sitting and watching his breath. He loved all religions and expressed many of them in his work, but like I said he did many paintings and sculptures of Hindu deities, translating them into an original classical idiom that was a synthesis of East and West.

Sculpture of Paul Robeson by Antonio Salemme 1892-1995

Antonio contemplating his Head of Robeson

Antonio Salemme 1892-1995 was a friend of Paul Robeson in the 1920's in New York. He met him when Paul was doing the play, Emperor Jones. He envisioned Paul as sculpture and asked if he would model for him. Paul said he would and this is the resulting sculpture. A lifesize figure of Paul, nude with his arms upstretched singing. It was titled "Negro Spiritual". Isamu Noguchi visited
Antonio at his studio around this time and said it set a new standard for American Sculpture.  It gained national notoriety and was banned from being shown at a Philadelphia exhibition. It was shown at the Chicago Art Institute in a show, where it was given an honorable mention. He recounted to me that he had received a letter from the director of the Institute, that it had received first place but due to the 'colored' problem in the city it was only being given an honorable mention!! (The first place prize  was ($2500 no small amount especially at the time.)
  

 

 There were 2 casts of this original piece made in plaster. One he took to Paris with him pre-world war 2, where he spent time working while the recipient of 2 Guggenheim Fellowships. It was shown at the Tuileries.  The cast was lost during World War 2. I imagine the Nazis destroyed it , but maybe it still exists?? The second was sent on a tour in the American South. Probably not the smartest idea...anyway that one was also lost and most likely destroyed.
The last 10 years of his life Antonio spent time recreating the sculpture from memory half lifesize. I believe the Paul Robeson Foundation has one cast in their collection. I have envisioned this at 15 ft high and a number of them.

 

Figure, 26"x35"

Rockport Quarry, 24"x30", Plein Air CIRCA 1955, by Antonio Salemme 1892-1995

Antonio at the Foundry

Thinking Woman

Sculpture, 'Butch', by Antonio Salemme 1892-1995

Sculpture Portrait Einstein by Antonio Salemme 1892-1995

Environment, terra cotta, 'David and Goliath'

composition, 22x30"

It is work like this painting, in terms of color harmony, spontaneity, composition, brush work that is just another expression of thge artist's genius and originality.  Thrilling stuff directly expressed from the mind, heart and soul of one who has spent 8 decades of life producing art.  Work which will one day be  widely understood as the best the 20th C has to offer!  Music of the highest order, and of course all questions will be entertained.

composition, 22"x30", $15,000

Studio View 2