Born in Emporia, Kansas, Wendell Castle is a renowned maker of complex sculptural furniture. With a background in industrial design and sculpture, he transcends the position of craftsman by looking at form before function. As a result, the visual presence of his work overcomes the utility of the object. In his series of clocks, Castle focuses on the concept of time, using voids of space and whimsical forms to investigate how time is affected by gravity. His initial experience as a woodworker has instilled in him an expertise in balancing the weight of material, and creating movement in solid objects.

 

Related artists in KMAC's collection:

Betty Woodman

 

Click to view an archival list of all artists in the collection.

 

Recurring themes:

Domestic Life, Material Culture

 

KMAC exhibitions:

Permanent Collection: Recent Acquisitions, Wendell Castle: Forms Within Forms

 

Reference material:

Adamson, Glenn, Wendell Castle, and Museum of Arts and Design. Wendell Castle Remastered. New York: Artist Book Foundation, 2015.

 

Douglas, Diane and Vicki Halper, ed. Choosing Craft: The Artist’s Viewpoint. Chapel Hill, NC: The University of North Carolina Press, 2009.

 

Evans Eedermans, Emily, Dave Barry, and Glenn Adamson. Wendell Castle: A Catalogue Raisonné, 1958-2012. New York: The Artist Book Foundation, 2015.

 

Gordon, Alastair, et al. Wendell Castle: Wandering Forms, Works from 1959 to 1979. New York: Gregory R. Miller & Co., 2012.