Monumental Dreams: The Life And Sculpture Of Ann Norton Project Muse Upcc Books

“Seebohm brings her exceptional gift for storytelling to the life of this important but underknown American artist.”—Graham Boettcher, William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art, Birmingham Museum of Art “A fascinating story. It is also the history of the intense struggle between figurative and abstract sculpture in mid-twentieth-century art, a struggle that still continues to this day.”—Edwina Sandys, artist and winner of the United Nations Society of Writers and Artists Award for Excellence “Brings together all the unique chapters of Ann Norton’s life. Seebohm is not afraid to share with the reader Norton’s disappointments, successes, and her final legacy.”—Cynthia Palmieri, executive director, Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, Inc. For over twenty-five years, people have traveled from all over the world to visit the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, Florida. Here they can explore mysterious, magical, large-scale works made of brick and granite positioned throughout the lush, native landscape. These gardens provide a rare opportunity to engage a sculptor’s complete vision, to experience the work in its true and intended setting. Ann Norton (1905–1982) was born in Selma, Alabama, to a distinguished land-owning family. Unlike most of her contemporaries, she dreamed of being an artist and moved to New York in the early 1930s to study. Deeply interested in exploring the intersection of abstract art and realism, she studied with John Hovannes and Jose de Creeft and was briefly studio assistant to Alexander Archipenko. Her own pieces were well received, and by age 35, her work had already been shown at MOMA, the Whitney, and in other exhibitions. Even so, she struggled to earn enough money to survive as a sculptor and moved to Florida in 1943 to take up a position as teacher at the Norton Gallery and School of Art, founded by retired Acme Steel president, Ralph Hubbard Norton. Over time, the two built a relationship based on common aesthetic values, one that eventually grew into companionship, partnership, and love. After his death, Ann Norton erected her finest and lasting work on the property he left behind, his generous legacy to her. Today, her monolithic sculptures—in the spirit of Stonehenge, Henry Moore, and Buddhist temple art—are known worldwide. Norton once indicated that the colossal monuments now standing in the Sculpture Gardens had existed clearly in her mind since she was a young girl, but without a space, home, or funds to realize her vision, they would never have materialized.In this first-ever biography of an important twentieth-century artist, Caroline Seebohm tells the inspiring story of how Norton—a child of the South who eschewed her roots for the cosmopolitan world of New York City and beyond—paved her own way to become an artist and sculptor whose work encapsulates and transcends the modernist movement. “Seebohm brings her exceptional gift for storytelling to the life of this important but underknown American artist.”—Graham Boettcher, William Cary Hulsey Curator of American Art, Birmingham Museum of Art “A fascinating story. It is also the history of the intense struggle between figurative and abstract sculpture in mid-twentieth-century art, a struggle that still continues to this day.”—Edwina Sandys, artist and winner of the United Nations Society of Writers and Artists Award for Excellence “Brings together all the unique chapters of Ann Norton’s life. Seebohm is not afraid to share with the reader Norton’s disappointments, successes, and her final legacy.”—Cynthia Palmieri, executive director, Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, Inc. For over twenty-five years, people have traveled from all over the world to visit the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, Florida. Here they can explore mysterious, magical, large-scale works made of brick and granite positioned throughout the lush, native landscape. These gardens provide a rare opportunity to engage a sculptor’s complete vision, to experience the work in its true and intended setting. Ann Norton (1905–1982) was born in Selma, Alabama, to a distinguished land-owning family. Unlike most of her contemporaries, she dreamed of being an artist and moved to New York in the early 1930s to study. Deeply interested in exploring the intersection of abstract art and realism, she studied with John Hovannes and Jose de Creeft and was briefly studio assistant to Alexander Archipenko. Her own pieces were well received, and by age 35, her work had already been shown at MOMA, the Whitney, and in other exhibitions. Even so, she struggled to earn enough money to survive as a sculptor and moved to Florida in 1943 to take up a position as teacher at the Norton Gallery and School of Art, founded by retired Acme Steel president, Ralph Hubbard Norton. Over time, the two built a relationship based on common aesthetic values, one that eventually grew into companionship, partnership, and love. After his death, Ann Norton erected her finest and lasting work on the property he left behind, his generous legacy to her. Today, her monolithic sculptures—in the spirit of Stonehenge, Henry Moore, and Buddhist temple art—are known worldwide. Norton once indicated that the colossal monuments now standing in the Sculpture Gardens had existed clearly in her mind since she was a young girl, but without a space, home, or funds to realize her vision, they would never have materialized. In this first-ever biography of an important twentieth-century artist, Caroline Seebohm tells the inspiring story of how Norton—a child of the South who eschewed her roots for the cosmopolitan world of New York City and beyond—paved her own way to become an artist and sculptor whose work encapsulates and transcends the modernist movement.

In 1929, the Museum of Modern Art opened its doors, showing the astonishing paintings of Picasso, Matisse, and other avant garde artists. Young American artists quickly responded by experimenting with impressionism, cubism, and abstraction.

In Monumental Dreams, author Caroline Seebohm tells the riveting story of how Ann Norton (1905-1982)-a child of the South who had eschewed her Alabama roots to become a sculptor in New York City-joined this new guard. She studied with John Hovannes and Jose de Creeft and was studio assistant to Alexander Archipenko. Her work was well received, and by age 35, she had already participated in group shows at MOMA and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Despite her burgeoning career, Norton found New York a difficult place to live. In search of paying work, she moved to Florida, where she became a teacher at the Norton Gallery and School of Art, founded by retired Acme Steel president Ralph Hubbard Norton. The two built a relationship based on love as well as common aesthetic values, and after his death, she built her finest and lasting work. Today, her monolithic sculptures-in the spirit of Stonehenge, Henry Moore, and Buddhist temple art-can be admired in the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, Florida Cover 1 Contents 6 Prologue 8 Part I. Southern Roots: Selma, Alabama, 1905–1930 12 1. The Origins of a Great Alabama Family 14 2. Childhood in Selma 20 3. Early Success 29 Part II. The Art World in Turmoil: New York, 1930–1942 38 4. A Tumultuous Education 40 5. The Emergence of an Artist 47 6. A Rare Friendship 54 7. Career Challenges 66 8. A Turning Point 77 Part III. From Annie Vaughan Weaver to Ann Norton: Florida, 1943–1953 88 9. The Savior from Chicago 90 10. A Reticent Romance 119 11. Marriage and a New Life 126 12. A Growing Confidence 137 Part IV. The Journey to the Source: Florida, 1954–1982 148 13. New Freedom, New Work 150 14. Figures in the Landscape 156 15. East and West, New Relationships 163 16. Dreams of Selma 174 17. Time Runs Out 181 18. The Garden as Legacy 189 List of Exhibitions 198 Notes 200 Acknowledgments 214 Index 218 A 218 B 218 C 219 D 220 E 220 F 220 G 220 H 220 I 221 J 221 K 221 L 221 M 221 N 222 O 223 P 223 R 223 S 223 T 224 U 224 V 224 W 224 Z 224 In This Biography Of Ann Weaver Norton, Caroline Seebohm Brings Forward A Singular Life Lived During A Time Of Great Cultural And Artistic Change And Creates An Appealing Window Into Southern Mores, Gender Equity And Abstract Expressionism. Southern Roots: Selma, Alabama, 1905-1930 -- The Origins Of A Great Alabama Family -- Childhood In Selma -- Early Success -- The Art World In Turmoil: New York, 1930-1942 -- A Tumultuous Education -- The Emergence Of An Artist -- A Rare Friendship -- Career Challenges -- A Turning Point -- From Annie Vaughan Weaver To Ann Norton: Florida, 1943-1953 -- The Savior From Chicago -- A Reticent Romance -- Marriage And A New Life -- A Growing Confidence -- The Journey To The Source: Florida, 1954-1982 -- New Freedom, New Work -- Figures In The Landscape -- East And West, New Relationships -- Dreams Of Selma -- Time Runs Out -- The Garden As Legacy. Caroline Seebohm. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.