Tony Rosenthal Explained

Tony Rosenthal
Birth Name:	Bernard Rosenthal
Birth Date:	9 August 1914
Birth Place:	Highland Park, Illinois
Death Place:	Southampton, New York
Nationality:	American
Field:	American abstract sculptor.
Training:	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Movement:	Public art sculptor

Bernard J. Rosenthal (August 9, 1914 – July 28, 2009),^[1] also known as Tony Rosenthal, was an American abstract sculptor widely known for his monumental public art sculptures, created over seven decades.^[2]

Biography

Rosenthal was born August 9, 1914, in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.^{[3] [4]} He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Michigan in 1936 and later studied at The Cranbrook Academy of Art under Carl Milles.^[5]

Career

Rosenthal received his first public art commission when he created A Nubian Slave for the Elgin Watch Company building at the 1939 World's Fair.

Although Rosenthal's public art included five works in Manhattan, and numerous similar works in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Florida, Michigan, Connecticut, the artist remained elusive. In The New York Times, art dealer Joseph K. Levene said of Rosenthal: "He reminds me of a character actor. You know the face but not the name. With him, you know the art". By the time of his death at 94, he had not had a retrospective of his work.^[6]

Rosenthal's works are owned by museums around the world, including: Chrysler Museum: Big Six, 1977; Connecticut College: Memorial Cube, 1972; Israel Museum: Oracle, 1960; Long House Reserve: Mandala, 1994–95, Rites of Spring", 1997; Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Things Invisible to See, 1960, Harp Player, 1950; Guild Hall of East Hampton: "Cube 72", 1972; Milwaukee Art Museum: Big Six, 1977, Maquette for Hammarskjold, 1977; National Gallery of Art: Magpole,1965; San Diego Museum of Art: Odyssey, 1974; Risd Museum: Cumuli III, 1965.^[7]

Public art

Tony Rosenthal was best known for his large outdoor geometric abstract sculptures. Rosenthal's public work includes:

• The Family Group, Parker Center, Los Angeles, 1955.^[8]
• Orion, Fulton Mall, Fresno, 1964.
• Duologue, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection Albany, New York 1965^[9]
• Alamo, Astor Place, New York City, 1967. This "established Rosenthal as a master of monumental public sculpture, and something of a standard bearer of the contemporary structurist esthetic."^[10] He stated: "It is…important the sculpture interact with the public."^[11]
• The Cube "Endover", The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1968. Gift from the University of Michigan class of 1965 and Rosenthal, an alumnus of the university (Class of 1936) ^[5]
• Cube 72, 1972, Guild Hall of East Hampton, East Hampton, NY, 1972
• Odyssey III, San Diego Museum of Art, California, 1973
• 5 in 1, Lower Manhattan, New York City, 1973–74
• Indiana Totem, 1989, Circle, 1987, J.S. Bach Fugure, 1991, Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, Indiana^[12]

• Hammarskjold, 1977, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York (formerly located at the Fashion Institute of Technology)^[13]

Further reading

• Hunter, Sam, Tony Rosenthal, Rizzoli International Publications, Incorporated, 2001,
• Wight, Frederick S., Bernard Rosenthal, New York: Catherine Viviano, 1958.
• Marika Herskovic, American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey, (New York School Press, 2003.) . pp. 290–293

Notes and References

1. Grimes, William, Tony Rosenthal, Sculptor of Public Art, Dies at 94, New York Times, July 31, 2009.
2. Web site: Tony Rosenthal Biography Sculptor Public Art Legend. 2019-11-03. www.tonyrosenthal.com. en.
3. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45794106 Tony Rosenthal
4. http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/50253062&tab=holdings American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey,
5. Web site: The Cube "Endover" | Arts & Culture .
6. News: Grimes. William. 2009-07-31. Tony Rosenthal, Sculptor of Public Art, Dies at 94 (Published 2009). en-US. The New York Times. 2020-11-08. 0362-4331.
7. Web site: Cumuli III RISD Museum. 2020-11-11. risdmuseum.org.
8. News: Pacheco. Antonio. 2018-08-10. Former LAPD headquarters to be demolished after years of controversy. en-US. The Architect's Newspaper. 2021-02-18 .
9. Web site: Empire State Plaza Art Collection .
10. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45794106 Tony Rosenthal
11. http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/50253062&tab=holdings American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey,
12. Web site: On-Site Sculpture: On View: Indiana University Art Museum: Indiana University Bloomington . artmuseum.indiana.edu . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518095931/https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/on-view/on-site-sculpture.html . 2015-05-18.
13. Web site: The New Art on Campus . Simmons . Jamilah . December 19, 2018 . Brooklyn College . City University of New York .