Richard Erdman (artist)

Richard Erdman
Richard Erdman with his marble sculpture, Volante.
Born	Richard Stewart Erdman (1952-05-20) May 20, 1952 (age 65) Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Nationality	American
Known for	sculpture, painting
Movement	Abstract Bronze and Marble Sculpture, Modernism
Spouse(s)	Madeleine Dammers Austin
Patron(s)	Donald M. Kendall

Richard Erdman (born May 20, 1952) is an American artist. His family moved to Vermont when he was a child. He was a two-time NCAA All-American skier at the University of Vermont. Erdman is the grandson of Charles R. Erdman, Jr., former mayor of Princeton. Erdman grew up in Dorset, VT at the foothills of the oldest marble quarries in the U.S., not surprisingly, these early experiences greatly influenced this sculptor’s life and work. He marveled at the cavernous shapes and formations of the quarries whose weather-beaten layers and textures unveiled the mystery of stone. He also engaged his passion of joyous physicality and risk-taking, leaping from high quarry walls to the water below challenged by new heights and dreams. These two elements - a love of the medium and an intimate relationship with nature’s raw energy and beauty, inform his work today. Richard’s adaptability and his intimate understanding of the materials with which he sculpts have led to the creation of a prolific body of work which encompasses intimate maquettes to massive monumental works. Known for his forward-thinking modern adaptations of marble and bronze sculptures in graceful, flowing designs, Richard Erdman’s massive marble sculptures weighing up to 50 tons defy gravity, bringing warmth and light to their resilient stone bodies.

Richard Erdman has been traveling to Carrara, Italy for nearly forty years, making sculpture with the white and grey marble that has been used since the time of Ancient Rome, becoming part of a long lineage of artists.He has spent half his life working in this city’s surrounding quarries, sourcing and carving stone, becoming embedded in the culture and traditions of the craft, and finding inspiration in the merging of two worlds: the ancient one from which stone carving was born, and the modern tradition of creating abstract sculpture. Since Erdman began his career in 1975, the artist’s work has been shown in more than 160 solo and group exhibitions throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He has executed over 120 commissioned works for museums, public, and corporate collections. His work is held in collections in 52 countries worldwide for distinguished patrons such as The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Princeton University, The Rockefeller Collection in New York, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Four Seasons Park in Singapore, King Faisal Foundation in Riyadh, Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing, Bharti Airtel in New Delhi, and Handsome Fashion in Seoul. In 1985 PepsiCo commissioned Erdman to create the monumental sculpture titled Passage, which stands like a sentinel at the entrance to the esteemed Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens at PepsiCo, considered to be one of the finest collections of 20th century outdoor sculpture. Carved from a massive 450 ton block of travertine, the 25 by 16 foot Passage is the largest sculpture in the world carved from a single block of travertine; it wondrously embodies lightness, fluidity, and grace, epitomizing Erdman’s ability to create the chimerical from the prosaic. In 2017 Richard Erdman completed the monumental Bardiglio marble sculpture Arete, for Richard Meier and Partners Timeless 55 Tower located in Taipei, Taiwan. Arete stands nearly 12 feet high.Richard Erdman has been traveling to Carrara, Italy for nearly forty years, making sculpture with the white and grey marble that has been used since the time of Ancient Rome, becoming part of a long lineage of artists.