David Adickes Explained

David Pryor Adickes
Birth Date: January 19, 1927
Birth Place:Huntsville, Texas
Nationality:American
Known For:Sculpture
Notable Works:A Tribute to Courage

David Pryor Adickes (;[1] born January 19, 1927, Huntsville, Texas) is a modernist sculptor and painter.[2] His most famous work is the 67-foot tall A Tribute to Courage statue of Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas.[3]

Life and career

Adickes was born in Huntsville, Texas on January 19, 1927.[4]

In 1949, Adickes travelled to France to study under Fernand Léger. After two years, he returned to Texas and began presenting his work.[5] In 1955, Adickes was commissioned to paint a large historical mural of the city for the then-new Houston Club. That fall, he was hired to teach in the Art Department of the University of Texas at Austin.[6] [5]

In 1983, after being a fulltime painter and art instructor for more than two decades, Adickes was commissioned to make his first monumental sculpture. He created the Virtuoso, a 36-foot steel and concrete statue of a string trio. It is displayed in Houston.[7] In 1986, he created Cornet as a stage prop for the New Orleans World Fair.[8] In 1994, he created A Tribute to Courage in memory of Houston's namesake, Sam Houston. In 2004, he created 43 large busts of American presidents at Presidents Park, Virginia.[9] In 2006, he erected 60-foot statue of Stephen F. Austin in Brazoria County, Texas.[10] The busts installed at Houston's American Statesmanship Park were created in 2008 and donated to Harris County in 2012. In 2012, he turned his old high school in Huntsville into the Adickes Art Foundation Museum.[11]

Museum Collections

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ArtBeat Nation, Season 3 Episode 18. YouTube. February 17, 2015. 16 January 2023.
  2. Book: Edwards . Katie Robinson . Midcentury Modern Art in Texas . 2014 . University of Texas Press . 9780292756595 . 184 . July 12, 2018 . en.
  3. Book: Dregni . Eric . Midwest Marvels: Roadside Attractions Across Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin . 2006 . U of Minnesota Press . 9780816642908 . 299 . July 12, 2018 . en.
  4. http://reavesart.com/David-Adickes.cfm?ArtistsID=835 David Adickes Description
  5. News: One-Man Show Opens at Laguna Gloria Sunday . May 13, 2021 . Austin American-Statesman . May 19, 1957 . 9.
  6. Web site: TEXAS ARTIST: DAVID ADICKES. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210208055650/https://vogtauction.com/texas-artist/David-Adickes . February 8, 2021 . 2021-02-02. Vogt Auction.
  7. Book: Little . Carol Morris . A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas . 1996 . University of Texas Press . 9780292760363 . 247 . July 12, 2018 . en.
  8. Little, p. 229.
  9. News: Billock . Jennifer . How 43 Giant, Crumbling Presidential Heads Ended Up in a Virginia Field . July 14, 2018 . Smithsonian .
  10. News: Warren . Susan . Concrete Cowboy: Sculptor of Tall Art Sets Sights Higher; Texan David Adickes Renders Presidents, the Beatles; Now Aiming for 280 Feet . . 18 January 2006.
  11. News: Hlavaty . Craig . Documentary on Houston sculptor David Adickes in the works . July 12, 2018 . Houston Chronicle . June 19, 2015.