Andrew DeVries
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Andrew W. DeVries (born 1957 in
Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
) is an American artist and sculptor living and working in the
Berkshires The Berkshires () are highlands located in western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut in the United States. Generally, "Berkshires" may refer to the range of hills in Massachusetts that lie between the Housatonic and Connecticut River ...
of western
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
. His works, primarily in lost wax cast bronze produced at his own foundry, explore the human body portrayed through dance, though he has a substantial body of work centered in the purely symbolic form as well.


Early life and work

His early years were spent on his parents' dairy farm in Rochester, NY where he first learned to work with his hands. Frustrated by the limitations of art classes in high school, he dropped out at the age of fifteen, but remained on his parents' farm for 5 years, painting in his spare time.John A. Parks, ''American Artist'', December 2007 From 1978 to 1980 he drew dancers in Ballet Denver, the studios of Rieke Maria Love in Denver, CO, and it was Love that first suggested he try sculpture.Sheryl Lechner, “Heavy Metal” ''Berkshire Living'', Jan/Feb. 2008 Before leaving Colorado, he apprenticed with sculptor
Ed Dwight Edward Joseph Dwight Jr. (born September 9, 1933) is an American sculptor, author, retired test pilot, and astronaut. Enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1953, he earned a commission as a lieutenant in 1955. In 1961, at the direction of Presiden ...
, learned the art of the foundry from Lee Schenkeir and studied mold making with Raelee Frazier. In 1984 he toured Europe, sketching in museums and city squares before settling into Paris for a six-month study at th
Paris-American Academy
Returning to the United States, in 1985 he settled in the town of Middlefield, MA and built a sculpting studio and foundry with the help of his father. Taking casting work from other sculptors at his foundry led to a close connection with
Elliot Offner Elliot Melville Offner (July 12, 1931 – October 15, 2010) was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker and typographer, and longtime professor of art at Smith College.J.M. Lawrence,Elliot M. Offner, sculptor and longtime Smith professor, 79" ''B ...
, then Professor of Art at
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
in
Northampton, MA The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an aca ...
and a past President of the
National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding member ...
.


Awards

* 1989
National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding member ...
's Young Sculptor Award * 1991 awarded the Walter and Michael Lantz prize from the
National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding member ...
(NSS) * 1994 his wor
The Chariot
was selected for the NSS International Exhibition in Seravezza, Italy * 1996 Awarded the Lindsay Morris Memorial Prize by the NSS * 2003 DeVries invited to exhibit by the
Florence Biennale The Biennale Internazionale Dell’Arte Contemporanea, also known as the Florence Biennale is an art exhibition held in Florence, Italy. Since 1997 it has been held every two years in the exhibition spaces of the Fortezza da Basso, Florence. The ...
in Italy


Works

DeVries has accepted a number of commissions over the years, producing bronzes of Irish actor and director Vincent Dowling(2005), Congressman
Silvio O. Conte Silvio Ottavio Conte (November 9, 1921 – February 8, 1991) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for 16 terms, representing the 1st Congressional District of Massachuset ...
(1986) and former Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield (2010). In 2009, the veterans grou
SoldierOn
commissioned him to create the award they present each year, given that first year to Admiral Mike Mullen and in 2010 to Congressman
John Olver John Walter Olver (September 3, 1936 – February 23, 2023) was an American politician and chemist who was the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district from 1991 to 2013. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver grad ...
. DeVries exhibits and has done bronze casting demonstrations at museums such as Chesterwood Museum (where he was artist in residence for 12 yearsLesley Ann Beck, ''Berkshires Week'', August 21, 2003),
Norman Rockwell Museum The Norman Rockwell Museum is an art museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, United States, dedicated to the art of Norman Rockwell. It is home to the world's largest collection of original Rockwell art. The museum also hosts traveling exhibition ...

Springfield Museums
Ventfort Hall Museum of the Golden Age, the
Berkshire Museum The Berkshire Museum is a museum of art, natural history, and ancient civilization that is located in Pittsfield in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. History In 1903, local paper magnate Zenas Crane founded the Berkshire Museum. Inspired by suc ...
and the
Clark Art Institute The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, commonly referred to as the Clark, is an art museum and research institution located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. Its collection consists of European ...
, and was featured in the
WGBY-TV WGBY-TV (channel 57) is a PBS member television station in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. Owned by the Boston-based WGBH Educational Foundation, it is a sister station to that organization's flagship (broadcasting), flagship and nam ...
program calle
Making It Here
He has done large solo exhibitions in
Northampton, MA The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an aca ...
and Old Lyme, CT as well as a town wide installation of 25 large works in Lenox, MA where his gallery DeVries Fine Art International, Inc. is located. From March through November 2013, an exhibition of more than 40 of his bronzes and 20 of his pastel drawings were featured at The National Museum of Dance in
Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over ...
. DeVries' sculpture is in private and corporate collections around the world, and in the
U.S. Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers copyright law t ...
.


References


External links


Andrew DeVries Website
* ; Sculpting and Bronze Casting Video {{DEFAULTSORT:Devries, Andrew Living people 1957 births 20th-century American sculptors 21st-century American sculptors