The Sculpture of Clement Meadmore: Improvisation, Form and Balance

Two works by Clement Meadmore will be featured in STAIR’s upcoming Modern & Contemporary Fine Art & Design sale. Celebrated for his ability to merge engineered precision with lyrical expression, Meadmore’s sculptures embody a rare balance of structure and spontaneity.

Australian-born artist Clement Meadmore (1929-2005) made sculpture that transcends its geometry, relying on the opposing forces of line and mass to derive power and eloquence from the materials he worked with. The success of Meadmore’s work lies in the beauty and weightlessness of the forms, often denying their physical reality as they seemingly float in space.

Clement Meadmore (1929-2005): Upbeat, Bronze, 1984, signed ‘Meadmore’, dated and numbered 0/0 and with an indistinct foundry mark at the lower right edge. 102 x 62 x 48 in.

Clement Meadmore (1929-2005): Lowdown, Painted aluminum, 1983, signed ‘Meadmore’, dated and numbered 1/2 on the back of the central element. 132 x 204 x 168 in.

Meadmore studied aeronautical engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, graduating in 1949. He went on to become a successful furniture designer while also beginning a sculpture practice with welded metals. Meadmore moved to New York in 1963 to pursue his art full-time and later became a US citizen. In New York, he became associated with the Minimalists whose ascendancy was becoming central to the New York art scene in the late 1960s. Meadmore’s work combined elements of Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism where a single form conveyed the expressiveness of modernist sculpture with “gesture.” Minimalism had a set of aesthetic tenets to work within including a basis in geometry, smooth surfaces and a formal clarity that Meadmore adhered to. But unlike pure minimalists, he never began a work with an idea developed in advance, but rather arrived at his compositions intuitively. This free-form thought process is similar to the improvisation of Jazz, of which Meadmore was an ardent admirer and aficionado. An accomplished drummer himself, Meadmore once compared making his sculpture to making music, saying “It’s totally improvised, a little like working with a series of chords.” Many of Meadmore’s sculptures have titles that relate to music, and others are titled to indicate his interest in, and understanding of, aerodynamics. Meadmore’s art reflects his training as an engineer in the rigor and structure he brought to his work, both small and large-scale, as well as the elegance of a designer and the lyricism of a musician. Together, these aspects combine to create a singular language and body of work that, in Meadmore’s own words, “transcended geometry” in works of effortless physical grace. In addition to the quality of his work, Meadmore is respected for his commitment to public sculpture and the integrity he brought to the medium.

Additional Works: Property of an Important American Collection

Tineke Willemse-Steen (1920-2014): Summertime, Bronze, 1996 signed ‘Steen’ at bottom, number 1 of 3. 30 x 78 1/2 x 25 in.

Seiji Kunishima (b. 1937): Untitled 86-35, Cared black granite in two parts on a bluestone base, 1986, unmarked. 26 1/2 x 24 3/4 x 17 in.

Note: These sculptures are being sold in-situ. Please contact us for details regarding viewing and collection.

CATALOGUE ONLINE: Friday, November 7

GALLERY PREVIEW:

Friday, November 7: 9am – 5pm
Saturday, November 8: 11am-5pm
Sunday, November 9: Closed
Monday, November 10: 9am – 5pm
Tuesday, November 11: 9am – 5pm
Wednesday, November 12: 9am – 5pm
Thursday, November 13: 9am – 5pm
Friday, November 14: 9am – 5pm
Saturday, November 15: 11am-5pm
Sunday, November 16: Closed
Monday, November 17: 9am – 5pm
Tuesday, November 18: 9am – 5pm
Wednesday, November 19: 9am – 5pm