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Norman K. Carlberg (November 6, 1928 – November 11, 2018) was 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 ...
, photographer, and
printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed technique ...
. He is noted as an exemplar of the modular constructivist style.


Early life and education

Carlberg was born in
Roseau, Minnesota Roseau () is a city in and the county seat of Roseau County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 2,744 at the 2020 census. History A post office called Roseau has been in operation since 1895. The city took its name from the nearby ...
. He was the son of Gustav Carlberg and his wife Alma Forsberg. He studied at the
Minneapolis School of Art The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) is a private college specializing in the visual arts and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MCAD currently enrolls approximately 800 students. MCAD is one of just a few major art schools to offer ...
and then enlisted in the Air Force. He finished his undergraduate and graduate degree in art 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 ...
under
Josef Albers Josef Albers ( , , ; March 19, 1888March 25, 1976) was a German-born American artist and Visual arts education, educator who is considered one of the most influential 20th-century art teachers in the United States. Born in 1888 in Bottrop, Westp ...
, who was instrumental in his acceptance as a student at Yale and his nomination for a Fulbright Fellowship to teach at
Pontifical Catholic University of Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (UC Chile; ) is a traditional private university based in Santiago, Chile. It is one of the thirteen Catholic universities existing in Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical univ ...
. During his time in Chile, Norman became good friends with sculptor Sergio Castillo and others who spent time in the
Barrio Bellavista Barrio Bellavista (''Bellavista Neighborhood'') is an neighborhood that lies between the Mapocho River and San Cristóbal Hill in Santiago, Chile. It is known as Santiago's bohemian quarter, with numerous restaurants, boutiques, avant-garde gal ...
bohemian quarter of Santiago, such as
Manfred Max-Neef Artur Manfred Max Neef (; 26 October 1932 – 8 August 2019) was a Chilean economist of German descent. Max-Neef was born in Valparaíso, Chile. He started his career as a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley in the ...
. Besides Josef Albers,
Robert Engman Robert Engman (April 29, 1927 – July 4, 2018)
T ...
was a huge influence as a teacher and later as a good friend. Carlberg died on 11 November 2018.


Exhibitions and career

Carlberg enjoyed a number of exhibitions throughout his career that ranged from one-man shows to group exhibits. Carlberg taught briefly (1960–61) in
Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...
at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. In 1961,
Eugene Leake Eugene "Bud" Leake pronounced "Leaky" (31 August 1911 – 21 January 2005) was a landscape painter and president of the Maryland Institute College of Art. His work was characterized by a consistent commitment to the depiction of the lands ...
hired Norman as the Director of the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the
Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, it is regarded as one of ...
(MICA) in
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
. He taught at MICA until his retirement in 1997.


Working with architect Harry Seidler

Harry Seidler Harry Seidler (25 June 19239 March 2006) was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauh ...
was an Australian architect who was a leading proponent of
Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
in Australia, and was the first to incorporate key principals of the
Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...
in his architectural projects in Australia. As relayed in
Kenneth Frampton Kenneth Brian Frampton (born 20 November 1930) is a British architect, critic and historian. He is regarded as one of the world's leading historians of modernist architecture and contemporary architecture. He is an Emeritus Professor of Archit ...
’s 1992 book on Harry Seidler’s work, Harry “was first introduced to Norman Carlberg’s sculptures in Josef and Anni Alber’s house in America in the 1960s. They proudly showed me one of his positive reversal pieces in their living room. ‘it really works — doesn’t it?’ said Albers, which was a rare compliment”. From that indirect introduction to Carlberg’s work, Carlberg and Seidler established a correspondence that led to a friendship, a mutual admiration, and a mutually symbiotic interaction where each was able to beneficially help the other. In the case of Seidler, the geometric forms of Carlberg’s work (as well as fellow artists Charles O. Perry and
Frank Stella Frank Philip Stella (May 12, 1936 – May 4, 2024) was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker, noted for his work in the areas of minimalism and post-painterly abstraction. He lived and worked in New York City for much of his career befor ...
) influenced the direction of Seidler’s architectural designs. Conversely, Seidler had commissioned Carlberg to produce large pieces of artwork that allowed Carlberg to extend his work into a larger scale than he had ever accomplished previously. One of these project was the Riverside Centre, designed by Harry Seidler and Associates in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, which includes a Carlberg piece titled ''Winter Wind'' - a 10 meter high indoor sculpture.


Style: Modular constructivism, minimalism

Carlberg has written: "My style of sculpture represents the movement known as ' modular constructivism', which grew into its maturity and popularity in the 50s and 60s." The "modular" aspect of Carlberg's constructions is often readily apparent to the eye. Carlberg discussed modular constructivism with art critic
Brian Sherwin Brian Sherwin (born January 22, 1980) is an American art critic, writer, and blogger with a degree from Illinois College in 2003. Sherwin is a founding Management Team member of the artist social networking site myartspace, where he also served as ...
, stating, Carlberg's sculptures often consist of repetitions of such a unit, a basic shape capable of combining with other such elements in various ways—somewhat in the way a composer such as
Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...
or
Webern Anton Webern (; 3 December 1883 – 15 September 1945) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and musicologist. His music was among the most radical of its milieu in its lyric poetry, lyrical, poetic concision and use of then novel atonality, aton ...
might compose a piece of music by exploring the combinatorial possibilities of a single motivic cell, working within implicit constraints. At Yale, Erwin Hauer was an important influence who prodded Carlberg in this stylistic direction. While both men often employed curvilinear forms as modules, Carlberg more often used relatively geometric, hard-edged design units, often combining curves with straight edges (or flat planes) in the same module. His prints, mostly dating after 1970, show a similar preoccupation with precision, simplicity, and modularity. Some are actually groups of prints, placed contiguously together on a wall, with each print conceived as a module. Another theme that distinguished Carlberg's work in the Constructivism movement was his exploration in the positive-negative contrast of his modular units. The concept is simple, but its realization into artwork can be challenge in achieving its goal in a subtle manner that does not detract from the piece in its entirety.


Collections

Carlberg's sculptures are in the permanent collections of the
Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is a Modern art, modern and Contemporary art, contemporary American art museum located in the Meatpacking District, Manhattan, Meatpacking District and West Village neighbor ...
in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, the Art and Architecture Gallery at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
in
New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
,
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1805, it is the longest continuously operating art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, the
Hirshhorn Museum The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed ...
, the
Guggenheim Museum The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Museums in this group include: * The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Ne ...
, the Art Collection of the First National Bank of Chicago, and the
Baltimore Museum of Art The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of modern art, ...
,marylandartsource.com as well as in the private collections of Congressman
Tom Foley Thomas Stephen Foley (March 6, 1929 – October 18, 2013) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 49th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1989 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party, Foley represente ...
and author/broadcaster/journalist
Robert St. John Robert William St. John (March 9, 1902 – February 6, 2003) was an American writer, broadcasting, broadcaster, and journalist. Soyer was a member of the Writers and Artists for Peace in the Middle East, a pro-Israel group. In 1984, he signed a ...
.


See also

*
Constructivism (art) Constructivism is an early twentieth-century art movement founded in 1915 by Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko. Abstract and austere, constructivist art aimed to reflect modern industrial society and urban space. The movement rejected dec ...
*
Minimalism In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...
*
Formalism (art) In art history, formalism is the study of art by analyzing and comparing form and style. Its discussion also includes the way objects are made and their purely visual or material aspects. In painting, formalism emphasizes compositional elements su ...
* Riverside Centre (one of Carlberg's collaborative projects) *
Jane Frank Jane Schenthal Frank (born Jane Babette Schenthal; July 25, 1918 – May 31, 1986) was an American multidisciplinary artist, known as a painter, sculptor, mixed media artist, illustrator, and textile artist. Her landscape-like, mixed-media ...
(noted student of Carlberg) * Earl Hofmann (MICA art teacher)


Notes


References

* An early and exhaustive treatise on
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 ...
is shown in the 1967 book titled "Constructivism: Origins and Evolution", by George Rickey

which starts its examination on the legacy of the movement as it originated in Russia, to the "heirs" of the work that range from
Max Bill Max Bill (22 December 1908 – 9 December 1994) was a Swiss architect, artist, painter, typeface designer, industrial designer and graphic designer. Early life and education Bill was born in Winterthur. After an apprenticeship as a silversmit ...
, Erwin Hauer,
Karl Gerstner Karl Gerstner (2 July 1930 – 1 January 2017) was a Swiss designer, typographer, author, and artist. Career Gerstner attended Allgemeine Gewerbeschule Basel. From 1944 to 1948, Gerstner apprenticed as a typographer for artist Fritz Bühler ...
,
Bruno Munari Bruno Munari (24 October 1907 – 29 September 1998) was "one of the greatest actors of 20th-century art, design and graphics". He was an Italian artist, designer, and inventor who contributed fundamentals to many fields of visual arts (painti ...
, to Norman Carlberg. * Primary source of information for this article is th
Norman Carlberg profile
a website maintained b

the
Baltimore Museum of Art The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, is an art museum that was founded in 1914. The BMA's collection of 95,000 objects encompasses more than 1,000 works by Henri Matisse anchored by the Cone Collection of modern art, ...
; the
Enoch Pratt Free Library The Enoch Pratt Free Library is the free public library system of Baltimore, Maryland. Its Central Library is located on 400 Cathedral Street (southbound) and occupies the northeastern three quarters of a city block bounded by West Franklin S ...
;
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
; the
Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, it is regarded as one of ...
; the
Maryland Historical Society The Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC), formerly the Maryland Historical Society (MdHS), founded on March 1, 1844, is the oldest cultural institution in the U.S. state of Maryland. The organization "collects, preserves, and interpr ...
; the Maryland State Department of Education; the
University of Maryland, Baltimore County The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a Public university, public research university in Catonsville, Maryland named after Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County. It had a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 un ...
; and the
Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum is a public art museum located in the Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded and opened in 1934, it holds collections from the mid-19th century that were amassed substantially ...
. * Carlberg, Norman. ''Norman Carlberg: an exhibition of sculpture'' xhibition catalogue(Exhibition of sculpture — Norman Carlberg: presented by the Pennsylvania State University College of Arts and Architecture, November 5–29, 1966). ; ; *
Galerie Chalette Galerie Chalette was a private contemporary art gallery in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was founded by the married art dealers and collectors Madeleine Chalette Lejwa (1915–1996) and Arthur Lejwa (1895–1972) in February 1954. The Lejwas wer ...
. ''Structured sculpture: December 1960-January 1961'' (NYC: The Gallery, 1960) xhibition catalogue * Montpelier Cultural Arts Center. Sculpture 2000: the twentieth anniversary of the Montpelier invitational sculpture exhibition, Montpelier Cultural Arts Center, June 8 – August 18, 2000 xhibition catalogue(Maryland : Montpelier Cultural Arts Center, 2000). *
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...
(New York, N.Y.). ''Recent sculpture U.S.A. Sponsored by the [NYC] Junior Council of the Museum of Modern Art'' (1959).


External links


Color images of large public Carlberg sculpture
at Riverside Centre, built by Harry Seidler and Associates in
Brisbane, Australia Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Hirshhorn Gallery
permanent collection listing for Carlberg's "Minimal Surface Form 6", 1960.
Ford Foundation Grant recipient listingAskart.com
pages on Norman Carlberg

lick on 'sculpture' link at top, for access to both black and white and color images of Carlberg's worksbr>Fulbright Chile site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlberg, Norman 1928 births 2018 deaths People from Roseau, Minnesota 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American male artists American male sculptors Yale School of Art alumni 20th-century American printmakers Sculptors from Minnesota Maryland Institute College of Art faculty American people of Swedish descent