Modern Contemporary Sculpture by Christopher Georgesco

Christopher Georgesco Pacific Standard Time Video: Concrete and Steel Sculpture

2011-09-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

1974-1978

"Prismatic Centrifuge White" 2011 Commission "The American Embassy" Bucharest, Romania

2011-07-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Click Tittle Above to View Christopher Georgesco Sculptor Archives

Stainless Steel Contemporary Scupture Moved to Pasadena City College 2010

2011-02-26T22:06:00.000-08:00

View My Archives @

http://www.GeorgescoArt.com

Stainless Steel Sculpture-Painted Steel Sculpture @ The Michael H. Lord Gallery

2011-02-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

View Georgesco's Archives @
http://www.GeorgescArt.com

Take a walk through the Michael H. Lord Gallery and view Christopher Georgesco"s New Stainless Steel Sculpture in The Front Gallery and a Retrospective Exhibition of The Sculptors Work in The Rear Gallery. The works are documented and explained by the Sculptor. The show runs from Feb. 4 - March 3 and will be up During Palm Springs Modernism Week, Feb 17 - 27.

For more information contact

The Michael H. Lord Gallery, 1090 N. Palm Canyon Drive. (760) 699 8957

Space Relating to Modern Sculpture rather than the Materials as the Subject Matter

2011-02-15T01:27:00.000-08:00

I have Spent more time Contemplating The Space Within and Outside Sculpture rather than the Materials themselves.

http://www.GeorgescoArt.com

http://ModernOutdoorSculpture.com
http://ModernContemporarySculpture.com

Visit My New Blog. Modern Outdoor Sculpture

2011-02-14T17:14:00.000-08:00

Visit my New Blog MODERN OUTDOOR SCULPTURE for up dates on More Up to Date Events. This Month Concentrates on my New Stainless Steel Sculpture. designed to for Low Maintenance in all Environments. There are also Notes and Video's of MODERN EVENTS going on this month in February.

CLICK THE LINK AND ENJOY MODERNISM A TIMELESS MOVEMENT.

http://www.ModernOutdoorSculpture.com

Thanks For Visiting. Leave Your Comments. They are Appreciated.

Georgesco Leaf Sculpture in Wallpaper Magazine avalable at Twentieth, L.A.

2011-02-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

twentieth

8057 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-904-1200
HOURS: Mon - Fri 10 am - 6 pm . Sat - 12 am - 5 pm
Other Georgesco Links:
http://www.GeorgescoArt.com
http://www.ModernOutdoorSculpture.com

Albert Fret Arcitectual Photographs on Displat At Michael H. Lord Gallery During Palm Springs Modernism Week

2011-02-13T10:16:00.001-08:00

Christopher Georgesco @ Michael H. Lord Gallery
Second Exhibition Opening During Palm Springs Modernism Week.
Friday. Feb 25. 6-8pm will also Include Vintage Photographs of
Renowned Palm Springs Architect Albert Frey
For More Information Contact Michael H. Lord Gallery at:
1090 N. Palm Canyon Drive (760) 699 8957
To View The Georgesco Archives Click> http://www.GeorgescoArt.com

Palm Springs Modernism Week. Feb 17-27

2011-02-13T09:32:00.000-08:00

Michael H.Lord Gallery will be having a Exhibition

during Palm Springs Modernism Week of

Renowned Palm Springs Architect Albert Frey. The Architectural Photograph Exhibition is curated by Albert Freys longtime companion Jean Farrar.

Christopher Georgesco's New Sculpture Series "Rectangular Revisions will also be on View.

Friday. Feb 25. 6-8pm. 1090 N. Palm Canyon Drive

Gallery Information (760) 699 8957

Modern Artist on Contemporary Sculpture

2011-02-08T19:52:00.000-08:00

Click Link to View Georgesco Archives:

http://www.GeorgescoArt.com

-This Interview describes Christopher Georgesco's Sculpture, its personal Intent, Derivation and Direction . It is approximately 3.5 minutes long and encapsulates the Sculptors thought process which he has explored since 1968 when he began his carrier in Venice Beach, California. He currently works in Palm Springs where he lives with his Dutch Wife Maria Verstappen and spend part of the year at their home in Holland just outside Amsterdam.
-Christopher Georgesco is included in Lyn Kienholz's New Art Encyclopedia, "L.A. Rising: SoCal Artist before 1980" which covers a span of Artist who showed in Galleries, Museums and Public Places in the years 1945-1980.
-This book is now the Best Source of Information on the Los Angeles Artist who helped carve out The West Coast as a place rivaling New York. The book Illustrates Los Angeles as a Hot Bed of Ideas and Concepts as Important as any in Contemporary Art.

- Los Angeles has its own unique characteristics and Individualized Movements including "Light and Space" which was spawned by it's unique sun drenched environment. Unlike the heavy environment of The East Coast, Los Angeles's has proved itself to be a Highly Experimental and has contributed greatly to the World of Contemporary, Conceptual and Experimental Arts. "L.A. Rising: SoCal Art before 1980" is must have book for anyone involved with Contemporary Art. Lyn Kienholz is to congratulated on doing a thorough and quality publication which never existed before. Its a must have book for Art History Students as well as Artist themselves.

Christopher Georgesco Stainless Steel Sculpture @ Michael Lord Gallery

2011-02-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

CLICK TITTLE ABOVE TO VIEW THE MICHAEL LORD GALLERY WEB SITE..
.
View All My Stainless Steel Sculpture at:

Click Here > http://www.GeorgescoArt.com

Michael Lord Gallery.
1090 N. Palm Canyon Drive.
Palm Springs, CA.
OPENING: Feb 4. 6-8 PM

Christopher Georgesco.
FRONT GALLERY: New Stainless Steel Sculpture 2010
REAR GALLERY: Retrospect: "The Desert Years" 1998 - 2010

CHRISTOPHER GEORGESCO: "Rectangular Revisions"
NEW "Stainless Steel Sculpture and "Desert Years Retrospective"
Feruary 04 -March 03, 2011

—Palm Springs, CA—The Michael Lord Gallery is pleased to announce an upcoming exhibition of sculpture by Christopher Georgesco with an opening reception Friday, February 4, 2011 from 6-8 pm.

Christopher Georgesco, currently being coined a “New Modernist,” began his career as a sculptor in Venice, California, in 1968. His first solo show was deemed an overnight success by William Wilson, critic for the Los Angeles Times and was a hit with LA collectors. Georgesco's studio is now located in the desert, and his "Male Figure of Balzac" was recently acquired by the City of Palm Springs and installed on Palm Canyon Drive. His sculpture exists in public collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art. This exhibition will showcase his new stainless steel sculpture as well as works from earlier in his career.

In her 1977 article titled “Psychological Manipulation” for Art News magazine, writer Melinda Wortz called artist Christopher Georgesco “one of Los Angeles’ most interesting young sculptors.” Selections from this article as well as an excerpt from writer Richard Armstrong’s article in a 1979 Art Forum on the sculptor are reprinted with images of the work in a new book by Lyn Kienholz. The book is called "L.A. Rising: SoCal Artists Before 1980" and is an encyclopedic documentation of over 600 artists who lived, worked and showed in L.A. between 1940 to 1980 including renowned artists such as John Baldessari and Ed Ruscha.

Georgesco's father, Haralamb Georgescu, is a Internationally known Modernist architect in the United States and Europe. His archives were aquired by the Getty Research Instiute in 2008, Ghristopher Georgesco's New Stainless Steel and Retropspective Sculpture Exhibition runs throughout Palm Springs Modernism Week (February 17- 27), which will also feature a special gallery exhibit on renowned architect Albert Frey (1903-1998), curated by Frey's longtime companion and co-author Jean Farrar. The architectural photography of Leland Y. Lee, as well as artworks by Mathew Sumich and Nel Ivancich, will also be on view.

The exhibition runs through March 3rd. MICHAEL H. LORD GALLERY features a wide range of contemporary art across all genres including painting, photography, video, installation, public and sculpture work. The gallery is located at 1090 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262. For more information, contact Sam Heaton at 760-699-8957 or visit online at www.michaelhlordgallery.com.

Mickey Dora. "Da Cat" Artist of the Continental Drift

2011-01-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

Mickey Chapin Dora, Miklos S. Dora III, Miki Dora, MSD III. The names are many, and so are the facets of the man they call "Da Cat." Mickey Dora is surfing's Black Knight, the consummate antihero of the Malibu era.

Born in Budapest, Hungary to Miklos and Ramona Dora (who soon divorced), his stepfather, the great surfer Gard Chapin, introduced the boy to the ways of the ocean and a life at the beach. Dora was a worthy student and an excellent test pilot for the surfboard Chapin bought him. "Chapin was one of the few guys who instantly recognized that my pintails would work," surfboard innovator Joe Quigg recalls. "I got ridiculed and (Bob) Simmons laughed at them, but Chapin got one, and he bought one for Mickey, and that was his first surfboard."

Young Dora was a touch iconoclastic from the get-go. His early plan to fire-bomb the shack at San Onofre would have been offensive even to his independently minded stepdad had he carried it out. Stories of Dora's youth abound; stories on his Malibu years and beyond are legend. But Da Cat's outrageous scams, ruses and poses mask a man of extreme sensitivity and brilliance -- in and out of the water.

With the advent of foam surfboards and the more maneuver-oriented surfing styles of the late '50s, Dora's subtle mastery of wave positioning and the nuances of board control set him apart from the pack at Malibu, and his appearances there became the fodder of legend. His deft mannerisms on and off the beach and calculatedly eccentric comings and goings epitomized the Jack Kerouac/James Dean cult of cool. Who knew what lurked behind those Ray Ban sunglasses?

After Gidget created a cinematic genre, Dora became a sometime stunt double for several of the early '60s Hollywood beach flicks beginning with 1964's Muscle Beach Party. He was also worked in Bikini Beach (1964), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) and Ski Party (1965). He was featured as himself in Bill Delaney's Surfers: The Movie (1990).

In his halcyon days, Dora circulated mysteriously, sometimes penetrated the L.A. scene and lived an increasingly covert existence. Occasional interviews with the nascent surf media were veiled, cryptic and showed a penetrating and surreal wit. Above all, he was clearly oppressed by the accelerating loss of the idyllic world of his youth.

As his beloved Malibu increasingly swarmed with interlopers, Dora's go-outs became more like slalom runs as he wove intricate paths through scores of kooks, pushing and shoving his way along the zippering hollows. When accused of being ruthless, Dora told Surfer, "It's a lie. I'm vicious. We're all pushing and shoving, jockeying for position, and if I get the wave first -- if I'm in the best position -- then I feel I deserve it."

In the '60s, Dora grew to loathe contests and the "fascistic" control they exercised over surfers, the beaches and the waves. He called contest judges senile surf freaks and rejected the authority of the sport's self-appointed leaders. At the 1967 Malibu Invitational Surf Classic, competing for the last time, Da Cat took off on a wave, trimmed beautifully across its blue-green face and, passing in front of the judges, bent over, dropped his black shorts and exposed his naked ass to the gathered dignitaries and spectators.

Eventually Dora's disgust with contemporary California forced a decisive career move and lifestyle shift, and he escaped into a self-imposed (and strategic) exile, abandoning his fabled haunts to the Valley usurpers and Hollywood geeks. He has lived in France, traveled extensively in South Africa, Australia and the South Pacific and Indian oceans. He returned to the United States in the '80s to serve jail time for grand larceny (credit card fraud) and perhaps other criminal pursuits.

Since then, Dora, still with no permanent residence, has remained a surf tribe icon over the years. He has been invited (and sometimes attended) legends events, and lives much of the year in France, where he is often seen at Quiksilver functions, giving him a sense of community in the international surfing establishment. Like many of the aging stars, Dora has benefited from the nostalgia of the so-called longboard renaissance, and a new edition of his famous Greg Noll Da Cat surfboard (which sold thousands as the first limited-edition signature model in the mid-'60s) has been a great success.

"We made 250 of them, and we've got eight left," Noll reveals. "We started out at $1,000, which some people thought was outrageous, but then they went to $2,000, and the last 15 or 20 are going for $3,000 each." Clearly the Dora image and name (each Da Cat model is signed by both Noll and Dora) has cachet.

Later a slew of Dora's possessions (presumably sold to lighten his load and raise some cash) were offered for sale via the Internet. The lot included Miki's 1967 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational trophy (name engraved, mint condition), a personal photo album of surf and family from 1940 to the '60s, silver ID bracelet (name engraved, 1942), 23 small surf shots from the Gidget movies and Dora's pencil sketch of a nude woman.

Miki Dora passed away on January 3, 2002 at age 67 at his father's home in Montecito, California after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer. But interest in him refuses to die. In 2005, CR Stecyk and Drew Kampion released an authorized biography called Dora Lives using approved interviews and vintage photos. Three years later, Dave Rensin published All for a Few Perfect Waves. As the graffiti at Malibu has boasted for ages, the legend not only lives: "Dora rules."

-- Drew Kampion (updated, December 2009)

Miklos S. Dora / Artist of the Secound Kind

2011-01-21T18:07:00.000-08:00

Miklos S. Dora. 1934 - 2002

"Da Cat" Surfed Malibu in the 50's. "Most Graceful Man on a Board"

Mickey was a good friend who I met when I moved next door to him in 1968 on a small Street in Brentwood, CA, Gretna Green just below Montana. I was just out of High School and this was my first Apartment. The place was cheap because it was to be torn down and as a Artist I would ditch Santa Monica City Collage and rummage through trash cans to find objects to collage my Apartment with. Meeting Mickey in passing and having him over sealed the bond. I think he was taken by free thinking and anti-establishment rederect. He was also taken with my artistic endeavors and saw them on the level of freedom he was familar with, just a different medium. I had of course heard of him from Palisades High School and Bruce Brown Surfing Movies at the Santa Monica Civic. He lived in a small one bedroom apartment filled with memorabilia from his adventures including The Hollywood and Vine Street Sign, Surf Boards, African Statues, A Brass Bed draped in Costume Jewelry and bangles, and a Desk where he forged passes to the Oscars and other effects. There was so much stuff, all interesting that you literally had to climb under and over stuff to get to one room to other. He wasn't a hoarder, he just had a small Apt. and a garage with a vintage Lotus 1 seater Race Car and Porsche Speedster and of course his VW Bus which he told me on numerous occasions was set with car bombs at Malibu for cutting people off on waves. He watched the news at night and had the occasional Girl over but other than that stayed pretty much to himself. He would on occasions take off to Biarritz or South Africa and ask me along but being so young the prospect seemed risky so I passed. He had Beautiful Girlfriend who I met on several occasions who had a small but beautiful house just off San Vicente below 20th street. He was a charmer.

I latter moved to Venice Beach and set up a sculpture studio which comprised of 2 store fronts. He rented a mail box from me obviously for his personal business and even gave me a New 360 Yamaha Enduro Dirt Bike. I was sceptical but he said he didn't have the space to store it and to enjoy it which I did. He would come down to Venice and we would have breakfast on the days he checked his mail. He called me Eagle Eye. Whenever he would tell me his wild adventures one of my eye brows would go up. I remember one morning we were eating our eggs and toast and in walks this muscle man all greased up, we looked at each other like what the heck is this guy. It was a young Arnold Schwarzenegger who had just appeared on the scene. We had a good laugh and I latter hired Arnold and some of his muscle friends to help move some of my concrete sculptures. Arnold was building concrete block walls at the time in 1968.

I had seen Mickey surf and used to hang out with him at Lifeguard Station 5 at the bottom of Santa Monica Canyon. He introduced me to Wilt Chamberlain who hung out there among his other casual acquaintances. We had a easy repore. Mickey was not all that complicated like people say. He was kind, generous, a loyal friend and did what he had to do to Surf. I mean can you see Dora working? I think not. I knew about his scams but it was during the Viet Nam Years and I saw what he did as No More Criminal than the Government and Politicians of the time. This was the 60's. I have no idea what was going on the back ground with Mickey but I would always catch that Dora Grin and Unusual Mannerisms cluing me that he had just pulled something off. It was second nature to him and he lived by his wits to Surf. I totally respected him for it. I hear people talk about what a scammer he was but in the Big Picture he was a Artist and did what he had to do for his Craft.

One day he split the country and I didn't hear from him for a year or so. I believe he was jailed and afterwards split for Marrakesh or something like that. He left the Country at this point in time, and I never saw him again. I would get calls from him on a Black Box a device used to make free calls that were untraceable every 3 or 4 months and he would give me some clues to his wear abouts and Waves. He stayed in touch with me till around 1995 and I never heard from him again till I heard he died through the grapevine. It was a shock that a guy in such great physical shape could be taken down by Cancer at 67. I miss his originality and talent. I still love watching old clips of him and remember his endorsed Surf Board with Da Cat on it.

He was a original and did what he had to do to Surf. He was no Black Knight but a guy who was 2 steps ahead of the next guy. The last clip I saw of Dora was on a PBS Movie In Search of Mickey Dora. The finally found him in the south of France most likely living off some
Frenchman's dime. The only shot they got of him was him standing behind his long board stuck in the sand with his hand sticking out giving the Finger. Classic Dora Style. He did not care and was finished with Hollywood Tensile and was living his last years doing what he loved, chasing the next great wave living out of his Mercedes Van. I will always have his face etched in my brain, and feel Lucky to have been friends with one of the True Great Artists of Surfing in our Lives. Honestly to to me he was just Mickey with that Impeccable Smile and Hand Mannerisms that were Memorizing.

One day Mickey invited me to the Movie Studio's for a audition to try out for a surf movie. They were casting 18 year old which I fit the bill but Dora was 14 years older. The casting director knew Mickey and I couldn't surf good enough so they kicked the 2 of us out of the office. Mickey pulled out Cherry Bombs and M80's and through them down the hall as we made a mad dash out of the studio parking lot in his Maroon Speedster.

As much as I miss Mickey now, his humor always brings a smile back to my face. In one of his last Interviews he was to sick to come to the table for Lunch, but met outside on a bench in Sunshine. The Interviewer asked if he spent much time there. Mickey Replied, "Ah Yeah, You know, Cant Die without a Sun Tan", with sarcasm and smile. This is how I will remember him.

February Ad in "Art in America ". Opening Feb. 4. 6-8pm. at The Michael Lord Gallery, Palm Springs, CA.

2011-01-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Click Tittle to View Contemporary Modernist Sculptor Christopher Georgesco Archieves

Click Ad to Enlarge

My New Exhibition consists of 5 Stainless Steel Table Top Sculptures and 3 Stain less Steel 8' Sculptures in the Front Gallery. The Larger Rear Gallery will have examples from my 1998 Show of Black Geometric Volumes, one is the model for a piece which which was recently Installed on Palm Canyon Blvd. in Palm Springs called "Balzac". Its mate a Female version is tittled "Black Maria" and they are both on Metal Pedestals around 8' h overall.

There are a Set of Three White Columns which Tittled "Transfiguration" and work together to activate the Space between Them. Most of my work is primarily conceived as The Point in Space that Circles have in Common. The Sculpture itself is the area which 4 circles have in common and all other components are eliminated leaving a Monolith. Another White Column in the show is a "Obelisk around 9' tall comprised of opposing elongated Triangles with reversed sides flipped 2 up 2 down causing the piece to twist subtly 90 degrees.

There will be Five Leaf Sculptures from around 2002 - 2008 made from Painted Steel with Stainless Steel Feet in Gold, White, Yellow and Red. These pieces resemble Leaves but are conceived from the same Vocabulary I have worked with for the past 43 years with the exception of straight metal Dowlings connecting the work as radius lines. These pieces all are around just under 8' -12' Tall. Out of the Sculptures I have made these are the first to include Color, a departure from the use of natural materials used for their Color and Texture. This Series express's a more playful Joy towards my work more than other series previous.

Christopher Georgesco: Sculpture at The Michael H Lord Gallery in Palm Springs Reception February 4, 2011

2010-12-24T16:07:00.001-08:00

CLICK TITTLE ABOVE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Christopher Georgesco began his career as a sculptor in Venice, California, in 1968. His first solo show was deemed an overnight success by William Wilson, critic for the Los Angeles Times and was a hit with LA collectors. Georgesco's studio is now located in the desert, and his "Male Figure of Balzac" was recently acquired by the City of Palm Springs and installed on Palm Canyon Drive. His sculpture exists in public collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art. This exhibition will showcase his new stainless steel sculpture as well as works from earlier in his career. Georgesco's father was a well-known modernist architect in Palm Springs, and this exhibition runs during our Palm Springs Modernism Week show (February 18-27), which will also feature a special exhibit on renowned architect Albert Frey (1903-1998), curated by Frey's companion and friend Jean Farrar, as well as the architectural photography of Leland Y. Lee.
Artist Reception: Feb 4, 2011. 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Michael H. Lord Gallery, 1090 N. Palm Canyon Dr.
Palm Springs, California

www.GeorgescoArt.com < Sculptor Archives

2010-12-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

Interview with Kimberly Nichols on The Upcomming February Exibition During Modernism Week of Christopher Georgesco at Michael H. Lord Gallery, Palm Springs, CA.

2010-12-20T12:09:00.000-08:00

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To Visit The Michael Lord Gallery Click Tittle

To View Georgesco's Archives Please Visit:

http://www.GeorgescoArt.com

1.)
KIMBERLY:
- Tell me about the new body of work you have created and will present in your February show? What was it inspired by and what do the sculptures represent for you in your overall oeuvre?
CHRISTOPHER:
- After my 60th Birthday I vowed to build works that would last centuries beyond my demise. I chose a material which I had worked in decades ago on smaller and larger scales, Stainless Steel.
- Unlike Bronze which has been steeped in History with its somber patina, Stainless Steel is Hard, Bright and Modern. Its Durability only surpassed by Titanium which is a little out of range because of price. Titanium is about 1/3 the weight but I wanted to put some meat on the bones and used Stainless a far heavier material but brilliant in its finish and has the ability to withstand all Outdoor Environments. My New Work is made of #304 Stainless Steel from a .5000 inch thick Plate. It is Laser Cut which leaves perfectly square surfaces to the plate, around the width of a pencil line and computer programed from my plans.
- I love New Technology and had to jump in and try Laser Cutting opposed to Water Jet and the results are amazing. Another element about Stainless Steel is its surface. Bright and readily present to add your own choice of Finish. I chose a 120 grit Flap Disk with Strokes parallel the to the Sculptures Vertical Center Line. Using Stainless Steel not only gives me the ability to install in all environmental conditions with little maintenance but moves my work in into the realm of the California's "Light ans Space Movement".
- The West Coast has always been a environment which embodies these Qualities of Light and Space and has been reflected in many artist works from 60's on primarily coming out of Venice with artist like Dewain Valentine, Larry Bell, and Robert Irwin to name a few that were in Venice when I was there.
- The pieces fit into my overall oeuvre in that they use the same Language of Shapes I have explores since the early 70's beginning with my "Wood Floor Pieces", the first time I began to explore splitting the rectangle, in this case it was a Volume and later I moved on to a Planes.
- I have been involved in a series of shapes which I call my Vocabulary for the past 42 years and they come across brilliantly in My New Stainless Steel Works. Their opposing juts of position are ever changing, revealing themselves slowly as the viewer moves around the Sculptures. The Works are all coming off a Central Vertical Linear Conjunction and as with all my work embody inner space with its axis's in outer space. Most of my sculptures exist primarily in Outer Space. The Sculptures them self are the Inner Space which circles in space have in common, all other elements are eliminated usually leaving a Monolith as my Primary Form.
- Other works in this Exhibition are specifically related to the Inner Space which use the Sculptures as a Templates to define the Space sculpted away from the interior of the Sculpture. These Prismatic Forms define the interior space as invisible, encapsulated and defined. I have always been interested in what you cant see in my work as what is physically present. For the most part my work is about what you don't see. Extended Radii or Circumferences which appear invisible outside the pieces and create the physical space which is defined as Sculpture, usually Monolithic where they intersect as the subject.
- My involvement with Minimalism is evident in a Abstracted format. I have created all the New Works from a single rectangle split with 2 lines and revised by displacing the shape into single forms which which operate in displacing space by positive and negative components reacting against each other causing movement. In this way my New Stainless Steel work relates to my earlier Concrete Columns from the 1970's.
2.)
KIMBERLY:
- You are being touted as a New Modernist? What does this mean to you and how do you feel about your show coinciding with Palm Springs Modernism Week?
CHRISTOPHER:
- I have never heard of my work called "The New Modernism" but have no problem with this term. Modernism has always reflected in my opinion the highest level of functionality, a relief to the eye in its reductive space. Modernism will never be dated. It is a Timeless Concept, Elegant and lacking decorative elements. The simplest explanation being " Less is More".
- I have always found Post Modernism a Head Ache and am glad my work is viewed in the context Modernism. Nothing could please me more. I have always see my work as Abstract Minimalism, due to beginning my sculpture carrier in 68 soon after Minimalism had Posted. It seemed Abstracting Minimalism was the only place to go in Sculpture, everything had already been reduced to the Cube. Post Modernism was never a consideration of mine. I find it gosh and decorative.
- As most people know I am the son of a Internationally recognized Modernist Architect whose archives were acquired by the Getty 2008. The remainder are in the collection of and exhibited at The Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest Romania which I attended with Wim DeWit from Special Collections at the Getty also in 2008, my fathers Centennial. As much as I wanted to be different than my father, years of being exposed to his Architecture and the summers spent working in his office building Architectural Models in the Modern Style effected me. Modernism is in my Blood and has been passed on to me. My father never talked about himself or his work but I seemed to have picked up Modernist concerns through osmosis. It seems that Modern Art has always moved in and out from simple to more complex modes throughout history. This is a reason for choosing Abstracted Minimalism as my form of expression being born in 1950, "New Modernism" if you choose to call it suits me fine.
- Timing is everything in Art along with being at the right place at the time. Having my Show during Modernism week was not a complete accident. I was able to convince my Palm Springs Art Dealer Michael Lord in lining up my show in his New Season with Modernism Week in Palm Springs due to the nature of of my work. I really felt it was a great opportunity to show my work when there where people in town who would understand it. Modernism week could not be better.
3.)
KIMBERLY:
- From your early days in L.A. to your resurgence in the desert, how do you think the art scene’s in the two cities have become connected and what does this connection mean to you as an artist?
CHRISTOPHER:
- I never connected the The Desert with Los Angeles in any specific way. I really landed here for totally different reasons than a Art Scene, which almost did not exist when I moved here in 1994 with my wife.
- I moved to Venice Beach straight out of Palisades High School in 1968. It was local and at that time it was a deserted Beach Front Town and with dirt cheap rents. I had no idea I was walking into a Hot Bed of Artistic First and Second Generation Major L.A. Art Players. I had never seen a Studio or been confronted with the cutting edge work and concepts in Art such as "The Industrial Gesture" / "Art and Technology" and "Light and Space" that were going on in Venice in the 60's and 70's in a big way. Those were really experimental and exciting times to be there. New Materials and Experimental Works on the menu. It had nothing to do with what was taught in Art History Class.
- I did attend Santa Monica City College for awhile, primarily concentrating on Art History and Welding but quickly recognized that there was more to be learned on the Streets in Venice. I slowly befriended some of the key players in the Venice Art World, most twice my age. I think they found my curiosity and enthusiasm entertaining. I learned where things had progressed to passed my Art History Books in College. I happened to move to right place at the right time as a Artist and became totally enveloped in the Life Style. This something you cant learn in school and I was lucky to have a father who was totality supportive of my decisions to make Art my Carrier. I had always been good at Art from a young age and knew it would be my destination.
- I quickly picked up on the concept of Large Spaces in Venice to work in, a complement to a Gallery type atmosphere which I learned was called a Studio and absolutely as important as blank canvas to a painter. With help from some of the Older Established Artist I learned that Cheap Space was a key element in the survival mode of The Contemporary Artist, and that subdividing leased space was a good way to live rent free. Once I picked up on the concept of Large Spaces, I immediately sought out my own 5,000 sq ft building. I got the key from the owner on 24 hour arrangement and quickly found 2 Artist willing to put up front money on my newly found warehouse from my Mentors who were plugged in to the connections. I was in business. I got the first and last month money for the building in one day. I sub-leased out two 1,000 sq ft. Spaces, leaving me 3,000 sq ft Rent Free on a 15 year with a $35 a month profit per month. Not bad business if I do say myself for a 19 year old Kid.
- After my lease ran out I was forced to move further East to the 8th floor of the Desmond's Art Deco Tower building on Wilshire down the street from L.A.C.M.A. I had a 3 year lease which I again sublet part of the space to cover my rent. During this time Doug Christmas owner of Ace Gallery had also found himself in the predicament of increased rents in Venice and Leased the entire 2nd floor of my building a total of 30,000 sq ft. Needless to say his presence raised the status of the building and when my lease was up for renewal it tripled. This left no choice but to move further East to South Central Los Angeles where I rented a Large Warehouse big enough to drive a Truck through for $400 a month. It was a little scary being the only White person in the neighborhood except for a couple other artists in the same complex. Not to mention all the Gun Fights at night.
- After 6 years in South Central I married my wife Maria from Holland who only knew how to ride a bicycle. She had to commute by Bus to Venice where she worked for a Fashion Designer. It was dangerous for her walking through the Hood as they called it. She was stoned with rocks from the nearby railroad tracks by some Black Girls, and home crying and angry one day. I then realized I needed to find another place. I looked in Highland Park to Long Beach and by 1994 everything in Los Angeles was Sky High Expensive. Artist were paying exorbitant prices to live in Sub-divided Warehouses in Downtown in some of the worst neighborhoods you could imagine. The L.A. Scene was sewn up and over for a pioneer like me. I was not ready for a job or used to paying High Rents. I had always lived off my Wits and Art.
- By 1994 L.A. was saturated. For some reason everyone now wanted to be a Artist, which was a outsider type activity when I started out. My wife and I would take weekly outings to get away from South Central for weekends to places like Carlsbad and Mexico's Rosarito Beach. On one of these trips we came to Palm Springs. My wife picked up a Real Estate magazine and when we left Palm Springs headed for the Beach, half way there she started reading off the prices of properties in the Real Estate Booklet. I could not believe how cheap it was to buy a New House on the outskirts of Palm Springs. Palm Springs was not knew to me. As a boy I would come here with my father where he worked for a Architect / Developer, Howard Lapham who just recently passed away at the ripe age of 96. I guess the most important thing my father designed for Howard here in the 50's with the The Chi Chi Club.
- Seeing these the low price for Real Estate in the booklet I quickly turned the car around to see what we could get. We got back into town and checked into the Hotel 6. The next morning we stopped at the first Realtor we saw. I told the man I was a Sculptor and had $15,000 and I needed a place where I could grind steel and not bother anyone. He took us to a defunct subdivision called B Bar H Ranch on the outskirts of town and showed us a 2 year old home for $50,000. It was on a quarter acre, had Tile Roof and was nearly new. We had no neighbors and to this day I still have no one living on either side or the rear. My wife loved the house and refused to look at anymore so put $10,000 down and we moved in soon as Escrow closed. I dumped my South Central Studio and saw no problems moving to the Desert. It was 2 hours from my L.A. Gallery and my wife just needed to find a job. It was the best decision I ever made. The house is now paid off and we live a Stress Free Life with no more Sub Letting or Crazy Neighborhoods and own rather than lease..
- I realized it would not be long before the Artists would show up at these prices and even cheaper in the High Desert. Sure enough several years latter Andrea Zittel started up her A-Z Test Site in Joshua and Ed Moses bought a place next door to friend in the mountains up in Joshua.
- As everyone can see now the small Art Scene that existed on El Paseo grew and as those prices escalated the Art Scene started moving here to Palm Springs, primarily to the once undesirable North Palm Canyon Blvd. I predicted this from past experiences when moving here. Find a area with cheap rent and the artist will come and turn into a Trendy Spot. The Back Street Galleries opened, more Galleries, Boutiques, Restaurants and Mid Century Furniture and Architectural Shops are opening up on N. Palm Canyon Blvd everyday. Exactly what I saw happen in Venice is happening here in Palm Springs now. Blame it on the Artists. The artists migrations always turn undesirable towns into Upscale Hip places and they eventually become outrageously expensive. Tip being move in before these places are exploited.
4.)
KIMBERLY:
- What does your inclusion in the SO CAL Artists book mean to you and express about your career?
CHRISTOPHER:
- It was surprised when my old acquaintance Lyn Kienholz, the early wife of the late sculptor Ed Kienholz contacted me. I knew her from my days showing at Newspace Gallery in Los Angeles. She called me and asked for 2 images of my work and a statements which eventually came off my Web Site http://www.GeorgescoArt.com for a New Art Encyclopedia she was writing on L.A. Art before 1980.
- Lyn was putting this Encyclopedia together to document the artist from 1945 -1980 who had shown in Museums and Galleries and put Los Angeles on the map and created the Art Hub that Los Angeles has become today. She said the book would be out in a year. Three years later I received an invitation to the Getty for a Toast to Lyn and to honor the Artist in her Encyclopedia. I had told Lyn I always wanted to be in such a publication, like the one which I had used in School in my Art History class. I think my Art History book pretty much ended with her late husband Ed.
-I guess what became evident to me at the Reception for the book is that what happens in the past eventually becomes the History of today. I never would have figured that participating and showing in Los Angeles Galleries, Universities and Museums would have add up to History and a Encyclopedia.
-It was a great evening spending time with my Contemporaries and Mentors at the Getty, seeing the artist I grew up with in the Los Angeles Art Scene again after leaving Los Angeles nearly 17 years ago to live here in the Beautiful Desert I now call Home.
- The Encyclopedia should be Available some time in January. It is tittled
"L.A. Rising: SoCal Artists before 1980" by Lyn Kienholz.
- Be careful you don't drop it on your foot, its Big and Heavy and includes around 600 Artist. To my surprise I have learned to be careful what you do today. What happens now I have found will latter become History.
- With all that said and done in this Interview I am hoping what I have talked about will inspire you to come see My New Stainless Steel Series: "Rectilinear Revisions" in the front Gallery and examples of my previous last 3 series in the large rear space at Michael H. Lord Gallery in February. The Exhibition will total more than 20 sculptures in all.
-Thank you if you if you spent the time to read this article.
Best Wishes, Christopher Georgesco/Sculptor

New L.A. Art Encyclopedia Unveiled at the Getty by Lyn Kienholz

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L.A. RISING: SoCal ARTIST BEFORE 1980 by Lyn Kienholz

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/arts/design/16kino.html?_r=1

Click LINK Above for the Full Story

Christopher Georgesco: Click Page Above and Enlarge

Archival Web Site of Christopher Georgesco. Modern Contemporay Sculpture Since 1968.

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CLICK TITTLE ABOVE TO VISIT www.GeorgescoArt.com

The New Tech of Laser Cutting Metal

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CLICK TITTLE:
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION

LASER CUTTING

The picture shows 2 banded sheets of Laser Cut #304 Stainless Steel Plate. Each sheet is 1/2" x 4' x 10'. The Laser Cutting is done with a Computer programed Version of plans submitted and programed into the Cutter. The plate can be up to 10" thick and is set on a table with a horizontal Arm which travels the length of the table with a Laser Beam Head attached to it which moves from Left to Right giving the machine the ability to cut any Geometric Line Pattern. The accuracy of Laser Cutting Metal is not only clean but cuts absolutely square to the plate. The cut is no larger than a Pencil Line. Life has now become easier and faster for the Modern Contemporary Sculptor. The time saved pays for itself.

February 2011 Exibition at Michael Lord Gallery, Palm Springs, CA

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Click Images to Enlarge

The Year is off to a Good Start with Positive Press concerning Last Years Work and my Future Upcoming Show at Michael Lord Gallery in Palm Springs, CA. For Details on the February Exhibition Please see the Michael Lord Gallery Web Site at http://www.michaelhlordgallery.com/ The Show will be Georgesco's First with Michael Lord.
The space is Immaculate with up to 6,000 sq ft of Exhibition Space and is one of the Top Galleries in The Coachella Valley. The Gallery was once a Parking Structure for the El Mirador Hotel one of Palm Springs finest back when the City was established and is steeped in History.

The Exhibition will comprise of 5 Table Top Monoliths and 3 Monumental Monoliths of Laser Cut #304 Stainless Steel in the Front Gallery and Pieces from 1998 through 2009 in the Back Gallery giving the viewer a glimpse into the metamorphic process Georgesco's work goes through from Series to Series. Stainless Steel is now the Material of choice for Christopher Georgesco. The Durability and ability to require minimum maintenance in all Outdoor environment's for Centuries to come and its Modern quality are both reasons for choosing this Material over Bronze.

The New Sculptures all from 2010 are from the "Rectangular Revisions Series". The New Sculptures are Laser Cut from a single Rectangular Plate of 1/2" #304 Stainless Steel Plate and opened up and reconfigured creating contrast between the Positive and Negative Space juts of position as the viewer moves around the Monolithic works. The Table Top Pieces are 32"h x 9" dia Base. The Monumental works are 8' high x 27" dia base.

The Works Exhibited in the Back Gallery comprise of several pieces from the 1998 show "Urns and Vessels". Several Works from the "The White Series" 1999-2001, Sculptures from the "Leaves Series" which range fro 2002-2008 and finally a Series of 4 Sculptures from a fairly New Series "Prismatic Centrifuge" dated 2009-2010. All together the Exibition should consist of around 25 pieces. Ambitious at any account. and should fall into The West Coast Event "Pacific Standard Time which is being kicked off with a Reception for the Artist and a Toast to Lyn Kienholz's New Encyclopedia "L.A. Rising: SoCal Artist before 1980" which will be held at The Getty in Brentwood,CA in December. The Encyclopedia which will include entries by Christopher Georgesco has been in the works for at least the last 3 years. It should be a interesting evening seeing my Contemporaries and Mentors attending the Event.

I look Forward to seeing you and my friends at my February Exhibition which co insides with Modernism Week in Palm Springs, CA. There will also be photographs on displayed of Albert Freys Mid Century Architecture. Hoping to see you at the Opening Friday, February 6th, from
6-8pm at Michel Lord Gallery, 1090 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, Ca. For more information on the Exhibition feel free to call the Gallery at (760) 699 8957. Hope to see you there.

Thanks for Visiting. Happy Holidays from the Georgesco's

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The Process of Creating Modern Contemporary Sculpture

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The difference between Modern Contemporary Sculpture versus Painting is that when working in Sculpture usually one first does a sketch, transfers that sketch into a Plan and finally scales down the plan to a model. Due to the High Expense of sculpture: Materials, Labor and Handling there is is little room for mistakes. The Cost involved and the amount of Time and Labor rules out the possibility of experimentation unless of course you are talking about such works as Assemblage.

Unlike painting which can become illusive in it's execution, which to a experienced painter or Color Field Painter the medium is viscous and easily changed when manipulated. Many painters may start with a idea or drawing but for the most part painting is a spontaneous act. Abstract Expressionism especially lends itself to to the Art of Chance. I have often been jealous of the plight of the painter. Juggling a canvas often seated in a chair and exerting oneself with the Act of Lifting a Brush. A painter can often do a painting a day or week. However often some paintings take years to complete. The sculptor is faced with physical element of the materials at hand and depending on the budget may be subjected to weeks of heavy labor. There have been many innovations available to Modern Contemporary Sculpture in the past few decades. In the early days steel was cut by hand using a Jig Saw or Band Saw. With modern technology one has several choices of cutting metal. They are all used with the Aid Of A Computer Program and consist of Plasma cutting using gases and a flame to cut the metal on a a elevated table with a horizontal beam which holds the plasma cutting flame and moves right to left or visa versa giving the computer the freedom of tracing any configuration. Water Jet is a fairly New Innovation and uses high pressure water jet to cut materials as hard as Stainless Steel up to 6 inches thick. At the top of the Tech Tools available is the Laser Cutting which is by far the most accurate and leaves the smoothest and squared result edge to the plate. In the Old days the metal usual welded with Arc Welders which leave slag and are efficient but the most difficult to achieve the perfection required for finishes such as Powder Coating which will resist bonding to any surface that contains ant contaminates such as Slag. Today the preferred welding method is Wire Feed or Tig and at the high end of the spectrum is Heli Arc which is the cleanest, most accurate and can be adapted to Bronze, Copper, Stainless and a host of additional alloys.
Once the parts are cut to plan usually the next step is tacking the whole sculpture together. This is absolutely necessary as with the heat applied in welding parts are apt to warp or shift. Tacking a sculpture together in its entirety insures a accurate fit and little to no warpage. A 8ft plus high sculpture usually takes in the neighborhood of a month to complete. That gives the sculptor of monumental works the high end possibility of completing maybe 12 sculptures a tear. As a painter may do 2 or 3 times as as many works. One of the things I like best About Modern contemporary Sculpture is that is often displayed in Public Places to be enjoyed by all and leaving a cultural stamp on a City, while paintings often end up indoors in Museums or private collections and are not as accessible to the public.

New Stainless Steel Moniliths. Exhibition in February 2011. Michael Lord Gallery.

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After just hitting my 60th Birthday I decided to turn my Sculpture Works to one of the most Durable Sculpture Materials on the Planet "Stainless Steel". Seeing my Life to be in the 4th quarter I have chosen this material as it is sure to endure time for centuries to come. I have almost exclusively worked with the Monolith in Sculpture because of its Modernistic Quality, "Less is More".

Post Modernism gives me a head ache. I really am questioned to analyse my beliefs when confronted with Post Modernist Sculpture. All kinds of Shapes and Volumes thrown together. Its as perplexing as Post Modernist Architecture. If you don't have a Eye for Clean and Simple lines attach a bunch of Spheres or Decorative Shapes on it to dress it up. Trite but True to the Trained Eye. You are left with opposite scenario of "More is Less".

However Old Modernism may be, it will never dated. The "Less is More" Concept will always be the most direct and cleanest solution to composition. It is Timeless as Elegance Itself.

Its Interesting working with the New Technology of today. My New Stainless Series is cut with Laser Beams and Helli-Arced together. The Pieces are part of a Metamorphic Process I have followed for the past 42 years in my Sculpture beginning in Venice Beach, California in 1968-1982. Coming out of Minimalism and the Cube the Sculptural Trend of the 60's, I chose to Abstract the Rectangle. I work with the Rectangle because of its Graceful Proportions, not the stocky stance of the Cube which does not as easily adapt to a Monolithic Format such a Stone Henge. Sculpture had gone to its simplest reductive realm in the 60's, therefore I decided on Abstracting Minimalism and referred to my Sculpture as "Abstract Minimalism". I see my work in its Early Drawings Stages to be very similar to the compositions of Elsworth Kelly. Breaking Shapes Up such as the Rectangle with one or two lines in the right place. The Sculpture is Contained within the Two Dimensional Form with nothing omitted. It is then Opened and reconfigured leaving nothing no waste. Yes this is Minimal. Yes this is Abstract due to the Manipulation of the Sum Total of its Parts.

The Rectangles in this Series have been split with 2 lines from a Vocabulary derived from Simple Minimal Shapes Cut and Opened . The Planes repositioned much like a Flower Blooming. This altering of configuration results in a interaction of the shapes working in opposition to each other. This opposition of Positive and Negative Forms Interacting results in Movement taking you around The Monolith in 360 degrees of continually changing Forms and Relationships. Stainless Steel is expensive and hard to work with, but well worth the price to create pieces that will endure the ages with little Maintenance.

I find Stainless Steel to be more Modern than Bronze its predecessor in the past. By using Stainless my work has entered the realm of "Light and Space", due to the highly reflective nature of the material, a West Coast Tradition and Modernist Concept which I have chosen to profess for its Purity and reference to Nature. I will always remember what my Architect Father and Mentor taught me as Child and what I choose to Profess Today. "When in Doubt, Go to the Light". Some what strange that what began so many years ago in The Bauhaus still Rings even Truer Today.

The Exhibition will include Stainless Steel Table Top Pieces as well as 8 foot Stainless Steel Versions which weigh in excess of 800 pounds.

Earlier select works from Christopher Georgesco's "White Series", "Leaf Series", and "Prismatic Centrifuge Series" 2009 will also be on Display.

Christopher Georgesco on Sculpture

2010-11-05T08:02:00.000-07:00