The following post serves as a commemoration to the artist Douglas Abdell (1947-), an American born, Málaga-based conceptual artist specializing in Sculpture. In honor of his 67th birthday, the following post is to represent my appreciation for his work, his philosophy, and his life. Furthermore, the post below is an excerpt from my undergraduate research written in 2010 at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Enjoy! (Also refer to: "What Lies Beneath? A Student-Designed Exhibition" Blog).
The Language and Art of Douglas Abdell: An in-depth analysis of Klaet Aeyad
Verioska Torres, 2010
Biography
Douglas Abdell (Aiutami) was born on March 16, 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts from an Italian/ Lebanese family. He is the youngest son of Marianna Guernieri and George Joseph Abdell, and a graduate from Brookline High School (1965) in Massachusetts. With a strong background in the Visual Arts from Brookline, he pursued to study painting and sculpture in Florence, Italy from 1968-69. By 1970, Abdell graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in Sculpture, and incidentally moved to New York, where he was represented as an artist at the Graham Gallery. Three years later, he moved to Vermont, where he received a fellowship as a community artist with the Vermont Arts Council. Before moving back to Boston, Abdell showcased his large works in solo exhibitions at the Andrew Crispo Gallery and the Davis and Long Company. The Sculpture of Douglas Abdell, a 1975 solo exhibition at the Andrew Crispo Gallery, traveled to several universities including St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City, Maryland in 1976. Within the year, sketches of a new series of sculptures called the Aekyad began to emerge. By 1978, Abdell published a book of poems about the Kryad sculptures in a language of his own devise called, “Kryad Poems.” His largest works from Aekyad series were exhibited at the Andrew Crispo Gallery called, Recent Sculpture, 1977-78. TheMiami-Dade Community College organized a traveling retrospective exhibition, Douglas Abdell: Sculpture and Drawings—1973-1979, which reached two universities in Virginia: Sweet
Briar College and Washington and Lee
University. He currently lives in Málaga, Spain with his wife and continues to work on sculptures in conjunction with political and social issues of the Mediterranean.Bibliography:
Douglas Abdell, The sculpture of Douglas Abdell with an interview by Gene Baro. New York: Andrew Crispo Gallery, 1979.
Douglas Abdell Recent Sculpture. New York: Andrew Crispo Gallery, 1979.
Douglas Abdell Sculpture & Drawings. Florida: New World Center Campus Art Gallery, 1979.
The Language and Art of Douglas Abdell: An in-depth analysis of Klaet Aeyad
Verioska Torres, 2010
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Douglas Abdell working on drawing from The Sculpture of Douglas Abdell: January 14th - February 5th 1977. New York: Andrew Crispo Gallery, 1977. |
Douglas Abdell (Aiutami) was born on March 16, 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts from an Italian/ Lebanese family. He is the youngest son of Marianna Guernieri and George Joseph Abdell, and a graduate from Brookline High School (1965) in Massachusetts. With a strong background in the Visual Arts from Brookline, he pursued to study painting and sculpture in Florence, Italy from 1968-69. By 1970, Abdell graduated from Syracuse University with a BFA in Sculpture, and incidentally moved to New York, where he was represented as an artist at the Graham Gallery. Three years later, he moved to Vermont, where he received a fellowship as a community artist with the Vermont Arts Council. Before moving back to Boston, Abdell showcased his large works in solo exhibitions at the Andrew Crispo Gallery and the Davis and Long Company. The Sculpture of Douglas Abdell, a 1975 solo exhibition at the Andrew Crispo Gallery, traveled to several universities including St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City, Maryland in 1976. Within the year, sketches of a new series of sculptures called the Aekyad began to emerge. By 1978, Abdell published a book of poems about the Kryad sculptures in a language of his own devise called, “Kryad Poems.” His largest works from Aekyad series were exhibited at the Andrew Crispo Gallery called, Recent Sculpture, 1977-78. The
Douglas Abdell, The sculpture of Douglas Abdell with an interview by Gene Baro. New York: Andrew Crispo Gallery, 1979.
Douglas Abdell Recent Sculpture. New York: Andrew Crispo Gallery, 1979.
Douglas Abdell Sculpture & Drawings. Florida: New World Center Campus Art Gallery, 1979.
