Tanya Ragir is an American contemporary sculptor, born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1955. She is best known for her sculptures centered on the nude feminine figure, sensually juxtaposing the feminine landscape with geometric forms. She sculpts in clay, the pieces being later fired or cast in bronze, aluminum, stainless steel and resin.

Career

Ragir received a Bachelor's Degree in Sculpture and Dance from the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of C ...

in 1976. After creating fully three-dimensional pieces for many years, her recent work is rich in shallow ''wall sculptures''. Ragir´s works have been featured in several motion pictures; most notably in ''

Meet the Fockers ''Meet the Fockers'' (sometimes known as ''Meet the Parents 2'') is a 2004 American romantic comedy film directed by Jay Roach, and the sequel to the 2000 film, '' Meet the Parents''. The film stars Robert De Niro (also one of the film's producer ...

'' (2004) and in ''

Mannequin A mannequin (sometimes spelled as manikin and also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off dif ...

'' (1987). She is an elected member 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 ...

and also a member of the

International Sculpture Center The International Sculpture Center (ISC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1960 by Elden Tefft and James A. Sterritt at the University of Kansas. It is currently located at Grounds For Sculpture (the former the New Jersey Fairground) i ...

, and the Southern California Women´s Caucus for Art. Among many honors, Ragir received a Certificate of Excellence in Sculpture in the California Art Club 101ST Annual Gold Medal Awards (2014).

Exhibitions

Permanent

Some of Tanya Ragir´s sculptures are permanently exhibited in public places including: * ''Avalon´s Legacy'', ''Moment In Time (Boys)'', ''Moment In Time (Girls)'' and ''Legacy'' (bronze sculptures): in

Brea, California Brea (; ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States. The population as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census was 47,325. It is southeast of Los Angeles. Brea is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The city ...

* ''Harmony'' (bronze, copper and steel) at

Oakbrook Center Oakbrook Center is a shopping center established in 1962 and located near Interstate 88 and Route 83 in Oak Brook, Illinois. It is the second largest shopping center in the Chicago metropolitan area by gross leasable area, only surpassed by ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

* ''Air'' (bronze): in

Rose Art Museum The Rose Art Museum, founded in 1961, is a part of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, US. Named after benefactors Edward and Bertha Rose, it offers temporary exhibitions, and it displays and houses works of art from its permanent co ...

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

* ''Totem'' (resin): at Cerro Coso Community College in

Ridgecrest, California Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 395 in California, U.S. Route 395 in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS, or China Lake) ...

* ''Mother and Child'' and ''Legacy'' (bronze sculptures): at Jewish Home for the Aging in

Reseda, California Reseda is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1912, and its central business district started developing in 1915. The neighborhood was devoted to agriculture for many years. Earthquake ...

Recent past exhibitions

Ragir´s work has been extensively exhibited for over 25 years very many galleries and museums across the US and abroad. Among recent shows one may mention: *2016 (Feb-Mar 3) Sculpture MAZE, bG Gallery Bergamot Station *2016 (Jan 29-31) Fabrikexpo, Los Angeles, CA *2015 - 2016 (Dec 11-Jan 8), California Regional Showcase at Manifest Gallery *2015 (Sep 3-30) Tanya Ragir:The Warrior Series, Gloria Delson Contemporary Arts, Los Angeles *2014 (whole year) Grand Rapids Art Museum *2013 (Jun 2-23) California Art Club, 102nd Annual Gold Medal Juried Exhibition *2012 (Sep 13-30) Gallery É, Tanya-Ragir-and-Sasha-vom-Dorp Exhibition, Los Angeles

External links

Tanya Ragir official website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ragir, Tanya 1955 births Living people 20th-century American women sculptors 20th-century American sculptors Sculptors from Los Angeles University of California, Santa Cruz alumni 21st-century American women sculptors 21st-century American sculptors