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Don Gummer | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Gummer in 2011 | |
| Born | Donald James Gummer (1946-12-12)December 12, 1946 (age 78) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
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| Relatives | Mark Ronson (son-in-law) |
| Website | dongummer |
Donald James Gummer (born December 12, 1946)[1] is an Americansculptor. His early work concentrated on table-top and wall-mounted sculpture. In the mid-1980s, he shifted his focus to large free-standing works, often inbronze. In the 1990s, he added a variety of other materials, such as stainless steel, aluminum and stained glass. His interest in large outdoor works also led him to an interest inpublic art. He was married toMeryl Streep, although they have been separated since 2017.
CriticIrving Sandler (writing inArt in America, January 2005) has noted that Gummer's work is recognizably rooted inconstructivism, but also writes that "in extending and deflecting Constructivist art in a new direction, Gummer has rendered it peculiarlycontemporary." Sandler also writes that Gummer's works "givepostmodern life to classic principles ofabstract composition."[2]
Gummer was born inLouisville, Kentucky, on December 12, 1946, and grew up inIndiana. He is the son of Dorothy Ann (née Jacobson) and William Adolph Gummer, and has five brothers: William, Jack, Richard, Steven, and Mark.
He studied atBen Davis High School,Indianapolis, and then at theHerron School of Art[3] from 1964 to 1966. From 1966 to 1970, he studied at theSchool of the Museum of Fine Arts inBoston,Massachusetts, and then completed his studies at theYale School of Art where he received hisBachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) andMaster of Fine Arts (MFA), and studied withDavid von Schlegell.[4]
Gummer's first solo show was in 1973. Since then, his works have been featured at two dozen solo shows at museums and galleries around the East Coast and Midwest. His work has also been exhibited in group shows.[5]
Gummer's commissioned works have includedPrimary Compass (2000), asite-specific outdoor permanent sculpture at theButler Institute of American Art,[6]Youngstown, Ohio, and a sculpture/fountain in Historic New Harmony,New Harmony, Indiana.[7] The Optimist" by Don Gummer was placed at the entrance of the Preston Arts Center, formerly the Henderson Fine Arts Center, on September 30, 2001, in Henderson, Kentucky. The sculpture made of cast stainless steel with a bronze base measures 7 ft. high, 4 ft. deep and 5 ft. in width and is mounted on a six-ton Indiana limestone base. "Fear and hate are no match for love and optimism" . . . Don Gummer . . . from speech at dedication and unveiling ceremony. One stainless steel and stained glass sculpture,Southern Circle, standing 25 feet (7.6 m) tall and weighing approximately 20,000 pounds, was commissioned by the city of Indianapolis and dedicated in October, 2004. "Primary Separation", a permanentinstallation at theMassachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, was completed in 2006.[7]
Gummer married Peggy Jenel Lucas in 1967, but they divorced shortly after.[8] He married actressMeryl Streep on September 30, 1978.[9] They have four children: musicianHenry Wolfe, and actressesMamie,Grace, andLouisa.[10] It was reported in October 2023 that Gummer and Streep had been separated for more than six years. They were last seen together in 2018.[11]
Gummer and Streep are active philanthropists who donate to a range of arts organizations and educational institutions, includingVassar College, Opus School in Harlem, and the Silver Mountain Arts Foundation.
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