Biggs Museum of American Art
Dover, Delaware
302.674.2111
http://www.biggsmuseum.org
Charles Parks: Small Works
September 27 - November 26, 2000
Delaware sculptor Charles Parks (b.
1922) is well known for his monumental works for outdoor display and large
commemorative portraits. Many Delaware residents are familiar with The
Student at the Newark Public Library, Vietnam from the Vietnam
War Memorial of New Castle County, and Boy with Hawk of the Brandywine
River Museum . A smaller bronze sculpture by Parks, Male Torso, is
displayed in Gallery 13 of the Museum. Based on a life study that Parks
completed in his last year at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
, it was purchased by Mr. Biggs from the artist in 1978. Parks described
it in a letter to Mr. Biggs as "...unique in the sense that it is the
only one that I did completely. It also is the only one that has the rich
red-brown patina which I spent many days applying." Charles Parks:
Small Works will feature a selection of smaller works as well as replicas
of some of the larger pieces. The exhibition will also include an explanation
of his working methods.
The
artist's work can be divided into several categories: portrait busts and
figures, liturgical figures, and animals. Examples from each of these groups
will be included in the exhibition. One small sculpture shows Delaware frame
maker Frank Coll (1885-1969) playing an accordion. Parks's skill at depicting
animals is evident in a sculpture of a horse, Morgan, and an octopus,
Octavia. Parks occasionally includes elements of a fantasy world
in his compositions. A replica of Nymph of the Christina, a sculpture
presented to King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden commemorating
the 350th anniversary of the Swedes landing at Fort Christina, Delaware,
illustrates the point. (left: Accordian Player, 1952, polyester,
10 inches high, Courtesy of the artist)
Born in Virginia, Charles Parks moved to Delaware as a
young boy and considers himself a Wilmingtonian. Parks was educated at the
University of Delaware and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in
Philadelphia. He continues to work in his Bancroft Mills studio on the Brandywine
in Wilmington.
On October 11 at 7:30 PM a video biography, "Charles
Parks: Working Artist," will be featured as well as a video about creating
sculpture. Members will receive an invitation to the opening reception September
27.
rev. 10/3/00
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The
artist's work can be divided into several categories: portrait busts and
figures, liturgical figures, and animals. Examples from each of these groups
will be included in the exhibition. One small sculpture shows Delaware frame
maker Frank Coll (1885-1969) playing an accordion. Parks's skill at depicting
animals is evident in a sculpture of a horse, Morgan, and an octopus,
Octavia. Parks occasionally includes elements of a fantasy world
in his compositions. A replica of Nymph of the Christina, a sculpture
presented to King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden commemorating
the 350th anniversary of the Swedes landing at Fort Christina, Delaware,
illustrates the point. (left: Accordian Player, 1952, polyester,
10 inches high, Courtesy of the artist)