Donald James Gummer (born December 12, 1946) is an American
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
. 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 in
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
. 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 in
public art
Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...
. He was married to
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...
, although they have been separated since 2017.
Style
Critic
Irving Sandler (writing in ''Art in America'', January 2005) has noted that Gummer's work is recognizably rooted in
constructivism
Constructivism may refer to:
Art and architecture
* Constructivism (art), an early 20th-century artistic movement that extols art as a practice for social purposes
* Constructivist architecture, an architectural movement in the Soviet Union in t ...
, but also writes that "in extending and deflecting Constructivist art in a new direction, Gummer has rendered it peculiarly
contemporary
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...
." Sandler also writes that Gummer's works "give
postmodern
Postmodernism encompasses a variety of artistic, cultural, and philosophical movements that claim to mark a break from modernism. They have in common the conviction that it is no longer possible to rely upon previous ways of depicting the wo ...
life to classic principles of
abstract composition."
Early life and education
Gummer was born in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, on December 12, 1946, and grew up in
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. 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 at
Ben Davis High School,
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, and then at the
Herron School of Art
Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public art school at Indiana University–Indianapolis (IUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional art school and has been accredited by the National As ...
from 1964 to 1966. From 1966 to 1970, he studied at the
School of the Museum of Fine Arts
The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is a dedicated art school within Tufts University, a private research university in Massa ...
in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
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 ...
, and then completed his studies at the
Yale School of Art
The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Master of Fine Arts, Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in g ...
where he received his
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students pursuing a professional education in the visual arts, Fine art, or performing arts. In some instances, it is also called a Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA).
Background ...
(BFA) and
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...
(MFA), and studied with
David von Schlegell.
Career
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.
Gummer's commissioned works have included ''Primary Compass'' (2000), a
site-specific outdoor permanent sculpture at the
Butler Institute of American Art,
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...
, and a sculpture/fountain in Historic New Harmony,
New Harmony, Indiana
New Harmony is a historic town on the Wabash River in Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, Harmony Township, Posey County, Indiana, Posey County, Indiana. It lies north of Mount Vernon, Indiana, Mount Vernon, the county seat, and is part of ...
.
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 tall and weighing approximately 20,000 pounds, was commissioned by the city of Indianapolis and dedicated in October, 2004. "Primary Separation", a permanent
installation at the
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) is a museum in a converted Arnold Print Works factory building complex located in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is one of the largest centers for contemporary visual art and performing ...
, was completed in 2006.
Personal life
Gummer married Peggy Jenel Lucas in 1967, but they divorced shortly after. He married actress
Meryl Streep
Mary Louise "Meryl" Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Known for her versatility and adept accent work, she has been described as "the best actress of her generation". She has received numerous accolades throughout her career ...
on September 30, 1978. They have four children: musician
Henry Wolfe, and actresses
Mamie,
Grace
Grace may refer to:
Places United States
* Grace, Idaho, a city
* Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois
* Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office
* Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...
, and
Louisa. 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.
Gummer and Streep are active philanthropists who donate to a range of arts organizations and educational institutions, including
Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...
, Opus School in Harlem, and the Silver Mountain Arts Foundation.
Public collections
* The
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, US
* Chase Manhattan Bank, New York, US
* Chemical Bank, New York, US
*
Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a general-interest museum located on the Ohio riverfront in downtown Evansville, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1904, it is one of Southern Indiana's most established and significant cultura ...
, Evansville, Indiana, US
* Preston Arts Center, Henderson, Kentucky, US
* The Equitable, New York, US
* Hiroshima Lying-in Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
* International Creative Management, New York, US
* ''House of Music'' (1993) - Kitakyushu International Center, Kitakyushu, Japan
* Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek, Denmark
* McCrory Corporation, New York, US
* Joseph E. Seagram Company, New York, US
*
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) is a museum in a converted Arnold Print Works factory building complex located in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is one of the largest centers for contemporary visual art and performing ...
, US
* Cyberinfrastructure Building, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, US
*
Open Eyes and
The South Tower,
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Indiana ( ) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the south and southeast, and the Wabash Riv ...
, Indianapolis, Indiana, US
References
Books
* Don Gummer; Peter Plagens;
Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a general-interest museum located on the Ohio riverfront in downtown Evansville, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1904, it is one of Southern Indiana's most established and significant cultura ...
;
Butler Institute of American Art;
Indiana State Museum
The Indiana State Museum is a museum located in Downtown Indianapolis, downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum houses exhibits on the science, art, culture, and history of Indiana from prehistoric times to the present day.
His ...
. ''The lyrical constructivist: Don Gummer sculpture'' (Chesterfield, Mass.: Chameleon Books; Evansville, Ind.: Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, 2001) () ; ;
* Douglas G Schultz;
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
The Buffalo AKG Art Museum, formerly known as the Albright–Knox Art Gallery, is an art museum located adjacent to Delaware Park, Buffalo, New York, United States.
The museum shows modern art and contemporary art. It is directly opposite Buff ...
. ''Eight sculptors: an exhibition'' (Buffalo : Albright-Knox Art Gallery, 1979) () ;
* Joseph Thompson;
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) is a museum in a converted Arnold Print Works factory building complex located in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is one of the largest centers for contemporary visual art and performing ...
. ''Don Gummer: primary separation'' (North Adams, Mass.: Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 2006) ;
External links
*
*
Indianapolis' Newest Piece of Public Art', Herron School of Art eNews, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gummer, Don
1946 births
20th-century American sculptors
20th-century American male artists
21st-century American sculptors
21st-century American male artists
Artists from Indianapolis
Artists from Louisville, Kentucky
Herron School of Art and Design alumni
Living people
Sculptors from Indiana
Sculptors from Kentucky
Don Gummer
Yale University alumni