Jose de Creeft
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Jose De Creeft (1884, Guadalajara, Spain – 1982, New York, United States) was a Spanish-born American sculptor and teacher.
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[edit] Life and work
Jose De Creeft began the study of sculpture in his native Spain in 1896, and in 1905 he moved to Paris, France, where he continued his study of sculpture at the Academie Julian. At that time all sculptors worked in clay, and had the finished piece either cast in bronze in a foundry, or had the piece carved in stone at a carving studio.[1]
In 1915 he broke with that tradition and began direct carving in stone. He was among the first sculptors of his time to carve directly in stone; and, in 1929, he brought that practice with him to the United States. He taught sculpture for many years at the Art Students League in New York City, and later in his own sculpture studio in the Chelsea section of NYC. Although his interest remained direct carving in stone and wood, throughout his life he continued to also produce work modeled in clay and cast in bronze, including the well known Alice in Wonderland sculpture in New York City's Central park.[2]
In 1940 he became a United States citizen. He was married to the sculptor Lorrie Goulet [3] who currently teaches Stone carving at the League. De Creeft had many one man shows in New York City and around the world. In 1960 he had a retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and in 1983 he had major exhibition at the National Gallery of Art.
