John Henry/Poetic Builder on view from April 28 - June 18, 2011
Opening Reception held April 28, 6 - 8 pm
The Flomenhaft Gallery is proud to exhibit the sculpture of John Henry, known world-wide for his boldly distinctive art. Since the 1960's Henry's sculpture, both monumental and tabletop-size, has been defined by a minimalist and constructivist style, an incisive attitude toward composition united with an unerring harmony and grace.
It is difficult to convey the magnitude of Henry's accomplishments. His awards and commissions include the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ford Foundation Educational Grant School of Art of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Alaska State Council on the Arts for the Anchorage International Airport, the Florida Art in State Buildings, and the Sonje Museum of Contemporary Art in Kyongju City, Korea, to mention just a few. His works are in over fifty public collections and more than 200 private collections worldwide.
In 2007 Henry was asked to create the award for the 64th Venice Film Festival. His sculpture, Scelto, was presented to British filmmaker Peter Greenway for his then recent film, "Night Watching." And Henry exhibited in OPEN 2007, in Venice, Italy. He also served as curator for "American Sculptors of the Alps (2007)," which featured eleven renowned Americans and was held at St. Urban, Switzerland. In 2008, Henry's 70 foot sculpture Star Pointer was erected at the Bay-front Exhibition of the 'Sarasota Season of Sculpture.'
Extraordinary is Henry's Peninsula Project (2008-2009), dubbed "Drawing in Space." Traveling around the Florida peninsula, he was inspired to create a monumental sculpture for a public site in each of seven cities, Orlando, Boca Raton, Tampa, Sarasota, Miami, Naples and Tallahassee. The interaction between the community and educational programs resulted in enormous cultural excitement.
John Henry was born in Lexington, Kentucky.He received his B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1969, and an honorary Doctorate of Arts at the University of Kentucky in 1996. As a visiting professor of sculpture, he taught in the University of Iowa, Wisconsin, and in Chicago, and is currently the Distinguished Professor of Art at the Chattanooga State College. He was Chairman of the Board of the International Sculpture Center since 1996 and is now its Chairman Emeritus. He served as a member of the Advisory Board of Lawyers for the Creative Arts in Chicago, advisor and coordinator to the Arts Council ofGreater New Orleans for the Super Sculpture New Orleans Exhibition, and is currently Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.
