Monumental Sculptures:  The Artist/Artisan Collaboration
Vanessa Hoheb, artisan and artist

Vanessa Hoheb grew up spending time in her father’s sculpture studio. At age 16, she began her formal apprenticeship in the studio, learning the skills and techniques of sculptural enlarging, mold making, casting, and restoration. The early years in the studio were filled with the excitement of working for artists Willem DeKooning, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, Frederick Hart, and Jasper Johns.  Hoheb became a widely-recognized master artisan in these techniques. Between 1980 and 1984, Willem DeKooning, one of America’s most influential artists and a leader of the 20th century Abstract Expressionist movement, engaged Hoheb Studios in New York to enlarge three of his hand-sized sculptures to monumental size. So, how is a palm-sized clay sculpture turned into a monumental bronze artwork? The speaker will provide an in-depth presentation on the creative and technical processes used in the development of these important works while offering an eyewitness’s glimpse into who deKooning was as an artist and person. 

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