Catherine Lee American, Born 1950 Lewis (Hebrides 3), 2003 Bronze Gift of Sean Scully 2012.59
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Information on Catherine Lee American, born 1950 Lewis (Hebrides 3), 2003 Bronze Gift of Sean Scully 2012.59 Subject Matter One of a series named after a string of rocky islands off the western coast of Scotland, the large-scale welded sheet bronze sculpture Lewis is sited on the McNay’s grounds near the driveway to the museum entrance. The footprint of the base is a five-sided polygon, up from which juts an angular solid with irregular planes reminiscent of a large crystal. Over eight feet tall, the dark bronze is patinated to a smooth semi-gloss surface. The bronze color changes depending upon light intensity the different planes receive. The side towards North New Braunfels Avenue rises with one tall quadrilateral plane from the base then breaks at the top into smaller planes, creating a curve. On the side facing the Stieren Center parking area, larger and smaller planes create another curve, which rises from the base to join the one from the opposite side at the top. Lee has said of the sculpture, “To me, it is relevant that these were spawned in the Outer Hebrides, where there are some amazing Stonehenge-like structures and massive menhirs [standing stones]. They are not meant to mimic any of these things, they are not representational, but they address that sense of awe I felt when I was there.” About the Artist Catherine Lee was born in Pampa, Texas, in 1950. Of West Texas, she says, “That landscape, that dry, minimal landscape, has a lot to do with what I’ve done in the past and what I still do today.” She grew up in a military family and tells the story of how she first became interested in art when she cut all the reproductions of paintings out of the World Book Encyclopedia her parents bought for her as a child. She also recalls being taken to a local museum when she was in third grade on an Army base in Germany: “I was stunned by the sense of quiet, of reverence, with so many there just to look at art, and so many more tending to the preservation of those artworks. I thought even then, there is something important going on here!” Lee graduated with a BA in studio arts from San Jose State University in 1974. She was married to Irish artist Sean Scully from 1978 until their divorce in 2003. They lived and worked in New York. Each year during their marriage, he selected one of his paintings that he felt was especially important or typical of his work for the year and reserved it for his collection, which he called the Catherine paintings. They were exhibited at the Fort Worth Modern Art Museum in 1993. After spending more than thirty years in New York City and exhibiting throughout the United States and the world, Lee left New York to return to Texas and now lives and works outside of Wimberley. Lee’s work is rooted in minimalism and post-minimalism, but with the abstract language she creates using colors and forms, she moves beyond that. In her sculpture, she engages in various sculptural mediums and processes everything from raku ceramics and fiberglass to bronze, concrete, and steel— sometimes within the same work. As a painter, throughout her career she has explored the concept of the grid. Early on, she applied the grid in pen and ink on canvas. More recently, she has created grids using broad brushstrokes of color on canvas. 1/2 Catherine Lee Lewis (Hebrides 3) 2003 About the Artist continued Since mutability of medium is of particular interest to Lee, she prefers to work with materials that at some point are in a liquid state. Lee creates solid shapes from fluidity and often uses fire to slightly melt metal to create a desired patina. A look at her work as a whole reveals many large families of related sculptures, wherein she explores different combinations and variations of forms throughout the series, working in rich materials and a variety of finishes. From her most intimate tabletop ceramic objects to the large freestanding bronze sculptures, Lee’s work is endowed with a presence that is simultaneously geological and human. Her work is in the Tate Modern in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin. At the McNay, in 2013 and 2014, her raku installation Alice was featured in the AT&T Lobby. In the fall of 2014, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum presented an exhibition of her work titled Emergence. Quote from the artist About her Wimberley studio: I can do things here that aren’t allowed in Manhattan: welding, casting, kiln firings, etc. Everything I do seems to be fire-related, none of which was too popular with my neighbors in New York City. As much as I love New York, I’ve been so happy here—and productive. Strategies for Student Tours Primary Grades (ages 6–8): Is this a painting or a sculpture? What do you see when you walk around it? What shapes? What kind of finish did the artist use? Is it smooth or rough, shiny, or dull? Which side do you like the best? Why? Does it seem light or heavy? What would it look like in a different color? What does the sculpture remind you of? Upper Elementary (ages 9–11): Use the above questions. Is it realistic or abstract? Tell them that Catherine Lee was inspired by the Hebrides islands off Scotland. Show them a picture of the standing stones. (Google and print “Callanish” stones). Ask them if they see anything on the grounds of the McNay that inspires them and why. Adolescents & Adults: Use the above activities. Compare Lewis to one of the other sculptures outside. What are the similarities and differences? Sources Worth Consulting Bennett, Steve. “Renowned Sculptor,” San Antonio Express News. 9 Sept. 2014. Catherine Lee. Irish Museum of Modern Art, 2005. Cook, Rachel. “Back in Her Home State,” Austin Chronicle. 18 Jan. 2008. Princenthal, Nancy. Review. Art in America. Dec 2004. Sean Scully: The Catherine Paintings. Essays by Carter Radcliff and Henry Madoff. Modern Museum of Fort Worth, 1993. Shards: The Work of Catherine Lee. Southwest School of Art and Craft, 2005. Sweeney, Gary. “Artist on Artist.” San Antonio Current. 20 Sept. 2014. <www.catherinelee.net>. Prepared by Jan Barnes Date Spring 2015 2/2.