Jim Miller-Melberg (1929-2017)
- Michigan
- Sculpture
"I think that all enduring forms of sculpture derive their validity from standards established by tradition going back to the carving of Venus of Willendorf, some 20,000 years ago, as well as 20th century works by Rodin, Brancusi, Giacometti, and Moore. " Jim Miller Melberg
ABOUT THE ARTIST
STATEMENT
"I think that all enduring forms of sculpture derive their validity from standards established by tradition going back to the carving of Venus of Willendorf, some 20,000 years ago, as well as 20th century works by Rodin, Brancusi, Giacometti, and Moore. " Jim Miller Melberg
BIO
Jim Miller-Melberg (1929-2017) was an extraordinary Detroit area artist whose acclaimed playground sculptures are almost universally recognized. His cast concrete porpoise, turtle and others (10,000 plus were manufactured by his company, Form, Inc) have developed a growing fan base and have been featured in exhibits and books such as Michigan Modern, Design That Shaped America. He owned and operated Form, Inc. for over 20 years, selling the business in 1981 to Wausau Tile in Wisconsin.
Jim spent the next 35 years creating an incredible body of work that is now available, in whole or in part, to a discerning individual, corporate or institutional collector.
Jim was not only an artist, he was a consummate craftsman and engineer. His fine art pieces share the workmanship and design ingenuity present in his playground sculptures (many of which are 60 years old and still delighting children all around the world)
We are pleased to present for sale his bronze, aluminum, wood and composite sculptures; sculptures in relief (to be wall hung); and paintings. Ideally, we would like to find a single collector to acquire and appreciate a significant number of these pieces that represent Jim’s life work.
We were personal friends of Jim’s, and are honored to show and sell his collection.
~Dave and Andrea Bogart
EXHIBITIONS/SHOWS/COMMISSIONS
The Art of Play solo exhibition at LTU CoAD and Detroit Center for Design and Technology, Detroit and Southfield, MI
Sculpture Invitational at Crooked Tree Art Center, Petosky, MI
Sculpture at the Mattheai, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Michigan Outdoor Sculpture, Southfield, MI
Ford Gallery, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
Extended Media - Fresh Visions, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
Play Sculpture Exhibition, Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, CA
Michigan Artists Show, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
EDUCATION
University of Michigan, College of Architecture and Design
Wayne State University
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Independent study in England and France
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Instructor of Design, University of Michigan
Founder of Form Inc.
TAGS
#michiganmodern #detroitdesigner #sculptor #playgroundsculpture