Amazing Abstract in Burnished Bronze

 This substantial sinuous sculpture of contrasting bright bronze and blackened patina appears to soar and spiral skywards. 

It was created by the Bennett brothers, Bob and Tom, as a limited edition in 1982. 

The Bennett brothers were identical twins who worked together to create fluid, flowing sculptures in gleaming golden bronze, ranging from undulating abstracts to sleek human forms. The brothers were born in 1939, in Rotan, Texas, moving to California in the 1950s. In 1969, they began their joint art career by creating welded wire sculptures at the a gas station they owned. Following the success of these one-of-a kind creations, the brothers began to work in bronze. In the late 1970s, the brothers founded Bennett Sculpture and built a foundry to cast their designs to their exacting standards. By the 1980s, the brothers had opened a number of galleries in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Illinois, and Texas to showcase their limited edition works. However, the brothers later decided to concentrate on their art and in the 1990s closed the galleries and foundry. Bob Bennett passed away in 2003 and Tom died in 2016 from complications of Parkinson's disease. 

In addition to their art being featured in collections throughout the world, the brothers' sculptures have been presented to world leaders such as President George H.W. Bush, Pope John Paul II, and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. They created a pair of 16-foot sculptures for the original Arco Arena building, as well was other public art, and designed an award for Elle magazine’s annual “Women in Hollywood” event, which has been presented to such recipients as Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman and Barbra Streisand.

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14130-2

Go Long. . .

 . . . which is what you will want to do when you see this big and beautiful painting by world renown Malaysian artist Lee Long Looi.

Lee Long Looi (1942-2023) was born in Malaysia and graduated from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore in 1964. He furthered his art studies at the Pratt Institute Graphics and as a participant in the  Foreign Student Program at the Art Students League in New York City. Looi became one of Malaysia’s best known contemporary artists, with a unique style that melded traditional Asian elements with Western techniques and mediums. His work typically features serene and graceful female figures depicted in strong strokes and rich contrasting colors, invoking feelings of tranquility and harmony. He taught and influenced many young artists during his career. Looi received numerous awards and honors; his work has been featured in exhibits worldwide and is part of numerous collections, including Citibank, ABC Television, the Gulf Bank of Miami, Miami City Hall, and the Toronto School of Business.

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16548-63

Glamor Puss

Cast in crystal that seems to glow from within, this beautiful brooch features a fancy feline.

On the back it carries the name of its maker, the famed French firm of Lalique.

 Lalique, renown today for its fine crystal and jewelry, as well as other luxury goods, was founded by René Lalique in the 1888, who began his career as a jeweler creating delicate and striking art nouveau designs. In 1905, he opened a new shop that offered not only jewelry, but elegant glass objects as well. Lalique soon began producing elaborate perfume bottles for makers such as Coty and by the 1920s, Lalique glass was considered some of the finest in the world. After René's death in 1945, the company passed on to his son, Marc, who began manufacturing Lalique's glass designs in fine lead crystal, as well creating new jewelry designs. This pretty kitty is a retired design and is no longer available from Lalique.

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15659-1811

You'll Go Wild. . .

. . . over this superb silk scarf from the French luxury design house Hermès. First introduced in 1986, this design is called "Faune et Flore du Texas” (animals and flowers of Texas).

Of course, any Texas-themed accessory must include a longhorn!

The Texas state bird, the mockingbird, serenades the Texas official small mammal, the armadillo.

"The coyotes wail, along the trail, deep in the heart of Texas. . . ."

A majestic mountain lion.

Birds of a feature also flock together.

However, this scarf is extra special. The original Hermès design had a banner framing the longhorn that read "Faune et Flore du Texas” and "Texas Wildlife." But on this example, the banner instead reads “The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston” and "Kermit Oliver 2005.” Hermès reissued this scarf in 2005 in a special edition as part of a retrospective of Oliver’s works at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts.

Born in 1943 in Refugio, Texas, where his father worked on a cattle ranch, the young Oliver demonstrated a talent for drawing animals and flowers, He graduated from Texas Southern University in Houston in 1967 with Bachelor of Fine Arts and art education degrees. Oliver initially taught at Texas Southern University, but instead decided to focus on his art. He was the first African-American artist in Houston to be represented by a major commercial gallery. While Oliver quickly became a highly successful and sought after artist, he was never comfortable in that role and the demands of the gallery scene. In 1978, Oliver began working as a processor at a Houston post office and later transferred to Waco, sorting mail on the night shift so that he could paint during the day, pursuing his own vision and occasionally working on commission. He retired from postal service in 2013 and continues to paint and draw. Oliver refers to his work as "painted collages," interposing a variety of realistically rendered images of people, animals, and plants, sometimes with surreal, mythological, or religious themes. 

His partnership with Hermes began in 1980. Hermès approached Lawrence Marcus of the renown upscale department store Neiman Marcus regarding whether he could recommend an American artist to design for a scarf with a Southwestern theme. Marcus referred the company to Oliver. Oliver has since designed 17 designs for the company. He is in fact the only American artist who has designed for Hermès.

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!