Clement Meadmore (9 February 1929 – 19 April 2005) was an Australian-American furniture designer and sculptor known for massive outdoor steel sculptures.

Clement Meadmore
Curl, 1968. Columbia University campus, New York, NY
Born(1929-02-09)9 February 1929
Died19 April 2005(2005-04-19) (aged 76)
NationalityAustralian
Known forDesign
Dervish, 1972. Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire

Biography

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Born Clement Lyon Meadmore in Melbourne, Australia in 1929, Clement Meadmore studied aeronautical engineering and then industrial design at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. After graduating in 1949, Meadmore designed furniture for several years and, in the 1950s, created his first welded sculptures. He had several one-man exhibits of his sculptures in Melbourne and Sydney between 1954 and 1962. In 1963, Meadmore moved to New York City.[1] Later, he became an American citizen.

Meadmore used COR-TEN steel, aluminium, and occasionally bronze to create colossal outdoor sculptures which combine the elements of abstract expressionism and minimalism.[2]

Earlier in his career he worked as a furniture designer, of which his DC601A chair is a well known example.[1]

He was an avid amateur drummer and jazz lover who held jam sessions in his home. His fondness for jazz is reflected in the names of several of his works, including "Riff" (1996), "Round Midnight" (1996), "Stormy Weather" (1997), "Night and Day" (1979) and "Perdido" (1978).

Meadmore's sculptures are held by museums, corporate headquarters, and schools internationally. His work has been exhibited in a number of galleries, including the Anita Shapolsky Gallery in New York City, the Columbus Gallery of Fine Art in Ohio, and the Davenport Municipal Art Gallery in Iowa.[3][4][5]

He authored How to Make Furniture Without Tools (1975) and The Modern Chair: Classic Designs by Thonet, Breuer, Le Corbusier, Eames and Others (1997). His work and career were catalogued in The Sculpture of Clement Meadmore (1994) by Eric Gibson.

Death

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Meadmore died at age 76 in Manhattan from complications of Parkinson's disease.[6]

Publications

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Books by Meadmore

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  • How to Make Furniture Without Tools (Pantheon, 1975) (ISBN 0-394-73063-1)
  • The Modern Chair: Classic Designs by Thonet, Breuer, Le Corbusier, Eames and Others (Dover, 1997) (ISBN 0-486-29807-8)

Books about Meadmore

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  • The Sculpture of Clement Meadmore by Eric Gibson (Hudson Hills, 1994) (ISBN 1-55595-098-1)

Sculptures in public collections and public spaces

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Australia

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  • Australian Capital Territory
  • Victoria
    • Awakening, 1968, AMP Society, Melbourne
    • Dervish, 1981, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne
    • Paraphernalia, 1999, McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, Langwarrin, Melbourne
  • New South Wales
    • Silence, 1960, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
    • Thunder, 1960, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
    • Double Up, 1970, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
    • Flippant Flurry, 1977, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
    • Hereabout, 1971/2001, Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle
  • Western Australia
    • Between 1979–1980, 1981, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth
  • Queensland
    • Offshoot, 1982, Queensland Government, Brisbane

United States

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International

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Famous Australian Furniture Designers - The Top 8". Architecture & Design. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  2. ^ Eric Gibson, The Sculpture of Clement Meadmore, Hudson Hills Press, 1994 ISBN 1-55595-098-1
  3. ^ "Clement Meadmore". Anita Shapolsky Gallery NYC. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19.
  4. ^ "Group Exhibitions". meadmore.com.
  5. ^ 2009 Artist's & Graphic Designer's Market – Listings. F W Media. October 2008. ISBN 9781582976549.
  6. ^ "Clement Meadmore, Sculptor in Metal, Is Dead at 76." The New York Times, 21 April 2005.
  7. ^ "'Riding High' by Clement Meadmore". Virtual Globetrotting. 4 April 2008.
  8. ^ "Clement Meadmore Sculpture Installed". Wellesley College. Archived from the original on 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
  9. ^ University of Michigan Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Upstart 2". princeton.edu.
  11. ^ New York State Office of General Services – Art Collection Archived 2011-10-08 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ "Empire State Plaza Art Collection". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Empire State Plaza Art Collection". Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Three Up by Clement Meadmore - White Plains, NY - Abstract Public Sculptures on Waymarking.com". waymarking.com.
  15. ^ "Untitled, (sculpture)". si.edu.
  16. ^ "Search the Collection". Cleveland Museum of Art.
  17. ^ University of Houston Art Collection Archived 2010-06-28 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Middlebury.edu Archived October 10, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
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