Aristides Burton Demetrios (1932 – December 12, 2021) was an American sculptor.

Life

Aristides Burton Demetrios, also known as "Aris," was born in 1932 and raised in Massachusetts, where he lived during childhood in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. His father George Demetrios was a classical sculptor, trained by

Antoine Bourdelle Antoine Bourdelle (; 30 October 1861 – 1 October 1929), born Émile Antoine Bordelles, was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important ...

, a student of

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

. His mother Virginia Lee Burton was the renowned author and illustrator of children's books, including ''Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel'', and ''The Little House'', for which she won the prestigious

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

. She was also a textile designer, founding the Folly Cove cooperative. After graduating from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1953, Aris Demetrios served as an officer for three years in the US Navy. He studied art and sculpture at the George Demetrios School from 1956 to 1959. He studied at the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

School of Architecture, in 1959. In 1963, Demetrios won his first national sculpture competition, when his proposed design was selected for a major fountain commission on the campus of

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

( White Memorial Fountain, or "Mem Claw"). Soon after, he was chosen for a public art commission in Sacramento in front hof the County Courthouse. Next he was selected by David and Lucille Packard to design and fabricate a sculpture for the entry to the

Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey Bay Aquarium is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit public aquarium in Monterey, California. Known for its regional focus on the marine habitats of Monterey Bay, it was the first to exhibit a living kelp forest when it opened in Octob ...

(''Forms Sung In A Kelp Forest''). Demetrios lived in

Santa Ynez, California Santa Ynez ( ; Spanish for "St. Agnes", originally spelled ''Santa Inés'') is an unincorporated community in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 4,505 at the 2020 census, up from 4,418 ...

. He died on December 12, 2021, in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, where he lived with his wife, Ilene Nagel. He was 89.

Career

Demetrios successfully completed several monumental public sculptures, including ''Wind Harp'' (1967) in South San Francisco; ''Flame of Freedom,''the Bataan War Memorial on the island of

Corregidor Corregidor (, , ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of Cavite City and thus the province of Cavite. It is located west of Manila, the nation's capi ...

; the 80' sculpture ''Cosmos,'' the fountain ''Pierine'' in New York City, ''Breakthrough,'' etc.) ''Wind Harp'' (1967) was designed for and installed on a hilltop in a South San Francisco industrial park. Originally it was called ''Cabot, Cabot and Forbes,'' after the developers of the industrial park. 92 feet tall and made of open metalwork of rusted steel, it is an aeolian harp, strummed by wind. From the late 20th century, Demetrios designed, fabricated and installed a large number of commissioned works for the gardens of private collectors, including several bronze fountains. In addition, he had several gallery and museum shows featuring his figurative bronze sculptures, such as ''Trickster''; his abstract bronze sculptures, such as ''The Cube,'' and his painted or patinaed steel sculptures, such as ''Tomorrow's Dreams.'' Many of these pieces are held in private collections. In 2002, Demetrios won the "Santa Barbara Beautiful Award" for the most beautiful work of public art. It was given to acknowledge his 18' bronze fountain, ''Mentors,'' a centerpiece at Santa Barbara City College, in a site overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Fountain was donated to the campus by Eli Luria and Michael Towbes, two Santa Barbara philanthropists. Each owns other works by Demetrios.

References

External links

Demetrios biography, Sullivan Goss Gallery

Belgravia Gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Demetrios, Aristides 1932 births 2021 deaths American sculptors Harvard College alumni University of California alumni