:W. Hunt Diederich (1884-1953): An Exhibition of Ideas and
Realizations" will be on view at D. Wigmore Fine Art, Inc, to
March 31.
The exhibition evolved from the purchase of hundreds of rough,
developing and finished drawings for Diederich's exhibition
pieces, as well as public and private commissions for sculpture
and decorative arts objects.
This exhibition is unlike previous shows that focused on the
silhouettes with some examples of Diederich's elegant metal
works. The gallery selected only a few silhouettes to make the
point that Diederich's great artistic idea and technical
achievement was in adapting the silhouette design into
three-dimensional decorative forms.
Diederich also developed ideas from drawings that evolved in
stages towards finished art objects, forming the focus of the
exhibition. For this reason, the catalog is organized around the
animal and figurative subjects, such as hounds, ibex, cats,
horses, birds and figures in action.
Most design motifs contain a rough drawing, a silhouette, a
finished drawing and a related metal work. The actual stars of
the exhibition are the large finished drawings, some 3 by 7 feet.
Amongst the important historic pieces shown are those developed
for the Central Park Zoo, one of Diederich's most memorable
public commissions.
In the mid-1920s, Diederich became interested in ceramics, a
passion he would continue through the 1930s. He made trips to
Spain, Morocco and Mexico to develop his skill in pottery.
The gallery is at 22 East 76th Street, and is open Monday
through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. For information,
212-794-2128.
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