Background

Christopher Wilmarth was born on June 11, 1943, in Sonoma, California, United States.

Education

In 1966, Wilmarth graduated from Cooper Union with Bachelor of Fine Arts.

Career

Christopher Wilmarth began exhibiting in New York at the Graham Gallery in 1968 and then at Paula Cooper in 1971 and 1972. In 1973, Wilmarth began a series of sculptures titled "Nine Clearings for a Standing Man." Each work consisted of a sheet of subtly bent steel behind a sheet of etched glass. No. 2 from this series, in the collection of the Honolulu Museum of Art, demonstrates his mastery of minimalism in sculpture.

By 1978, Wilmarth, disillusioned with the art market, departed from all dealer representation and established The Studio of the First Amendment, where he realized three shows: first in 1978 of his current work at that time, 1980 of the Gnomon’s Parade sculptures, and then in 1982 of the Breath series. In 1982, Wilmarth joined Hirschl & Adler Modern, where he realized two major shows: "Layers" in 1984 and "Delancy Backs" in 1986.

On November 19, 1987, Wilmarth committed suicide at the age of forty-four. His short and distinguished career produced only 150 sculptures. The Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, among others, had acquired his work before he reached the age of 30. His archive was donated to the Fogg Art Museum of Harvard University in 2001 by his widow, Susan Wilmarth-Rabineau.

Achievements

• Christopher Wilmarth was best known for sculptures made from plate glass and steel. By the age of 30, Christopher Wilmarth’s art was in the collections of many notable museums including the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • Long Memphis

  • Her Sides of Me

  • Nine Clearings for a Standing Man #8

  • Evers

  • Untitled

  • Untitled

  • Tina Turner

  • When Winter on Forgotten Woods Moves Somber

  • Untitled

  • October Ladders

  • Left

  • Self-Portrait with Sliding Light

  • Second Roebling

  • Reach

  • The Whole Soul Summed Up

Views

His goal was to create works that would give people “places to generate experience.” His ongoing inspiration and also frustration was trying to convey the sheer mass of the inner city and the movement of human beings through its labyrinthian streets.

Quotations: “Breath is the first vehicle for a poem; blown glass is breath made physical.”

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• It`s a rare match, that of a sculptor and a poet, and the restrained eloquence of Wilmarth`s work is very affectingю

Interests

• Writers

  Stéphane Mallarmé

• Artists

  Henri Matisse and Constantin Brancusi

Connections

Christopher Wilmarth was married to Susan Wilmarth-Rabineau.

Mother:

Stephanie Stefanssen

Spouse:

Susan Wilmarth-Rabineau

Sister:

Alison Wilmarth

References

• Christopher Wilmarth: Light and Gravity
  2004
• Christopher Wilmarth
  1989
• Christopher Wilmarth: Drawing into Sculpture (Harvard University Art Museums) Christopher Wilmarth (1943–1987), an American artist best known for his expressive sculptures constructed from plate glass and steel, was also an innovative draftsman. This compelling book—the first to focus on Wilmarth’s use of drawing throughout his career—offers fascinating insights into his artistic practice and poetic personal vision. Edward Saywell considers three aspects of Wilmarth’s drawings: his student and early works; the remarkable crossover that he made between two- and three-dimensional works in a series of drawings constructed from etched glass and steel cables done in the early 1970s; and the independent drawings he made directly after or during the construction of his sculptures as a means to think through completed work and to look forward to new creative ideas. Saywell also draws on previously unstudied materials, such as sketchbooks, preparatory maquettes, and letters selected from the Christopher Wilmarth Archive recently presented to the Fogg Art Museum by Susan Wilmarth-Rabineau, in order to shed new light on Wilmarth’s working process. Christopher Wilmarth (1943–1987), an American artist best known for his expressive sculptures constructed from plate glass and steel, was also an innovative draftsman. This compelling book—the first to focus on Wilmarth’s use of drawing throughout his career—offers fascinating insights into his artistic practice and poetic personal vision. Edward Saywell considers three aspects of Wilmarth’s drawings: his student and early works; the remarkable crossover that he made between two- and three-dimensional works in a series of drawings constructed from etched glass and steel cables done in the early 1970s; and the independent drawings he made directly after or during the construction of his sculptures as a means to think through completed work and to look forward to new creative ideas. Saywell also draws on previously unstudied materials, such as sketchbooks, preparatory maquettes, and letters selected from the Christopher Wilmarth Archive recently presented to the Fogg Art Museum by Susan Wilmarth-Rabineau, in order to shed new light on Wilmarth’s working process. Christopher Wilmarth (1943–1987), an American artist best known for his expressive sculptures constructed from plate glass and steel, was also an innovative draftsman. This compelling book—the first to focus on Wilmarth’s use of drawing throughout his career—offers fascinating insights into his artistic practice and poetic personal vision. Edward Saywell considers three aspects of Wilmarth’s drawings: his student and early works; the remarkable crossover that he made between two- and three-dimensional works in a series of drawings constructed from etched glass and steel cables done in the early 1970s; and the independent drawings he made directly after or during the construction of his sculptures as a means to think through completed work and to look forward to new creative ideas. Saywell also draws on previously unstudied materials, such as sketchbooks, preparatory maquettes, and letters selected from the Christopher Wilmarth Archive recently presented to the Fogg Art Museum by Susan Wilmarth-Rabineau, in order to shed new light on Wilmarth’s working process.
  2003