Mark Di Suvero

Art Brokerage: Mark Di Suervo American artist and sculptor: B. 1933. He was born Marco Polo Levi-Schiff di Suvero in Shanghai, China in 1933 to Italian expatriates. He immigrated to San Francisco, California in 1941 with his family. From 1953 to 1957, he attended the University of California, Santa Barbara to study Philosophy. He later moved to New York City where surrounded by an explosion of Abstract Expressionism he focused all his attention on sculpture. While working in construction, he was critically injured in an elevator accident, was paraplegic in a wheelchair for years and was told he would never walk again. While in rehabilitation, he learned to walk again and then to work with an arc welder. His early works were large outdoor pieces that incorporated wooden timbers from demolition buildings, tires, scrap metal and structural steel. This exploration has transformed over time into a focus on H-beams and heavy steel plates. Many of the pieces contain sections that are allowed to swing and rotate giving the overall forms a considerable degree of motion. He prides himself on his hands-on approach to the fabrication and installation of his work. Di Suvero pioneered the use of a crane as a sculptor's working tool. Di Suvero was a founding member of the Park Place Gallery and later, ConStruct, both artist-owned galleries, the former was the first SoHo Contemporary art communal gallery. The latter promoted and organized large-scale sculpture exhibitions throughout the United States. Other founding members include John Raymond Henry, Kenneth Snelson, Lyman Kipp and Charles Ginnever. His distinctive, large bold pieces can be found all over the world. He continues to be the subject of multiple exhibitions and his commitment to emerging artists is undeniable through the Athena Foundation and the Socrates Sculpture Park. Di Suvero has received the Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center and, in 2005, the 11th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities for his commitment to aspiring artists. Listings wanted by Art Brokerage.