Press Release
Brookgreen Gardens is displaying a special retrospective of bronze and steel sculptures by artists Marc Mellon and Babette Bloch in the Rosen Galleries until July 24, 2022. Bronze and Steel: The Art of Marc Mellon and Babette Bloch will feature Mellon's works in bronze and Bloch's works in stainless steel, providing a dynamic survey of the couple's creative career together for almost 40 years. Most works are for sale, and purchases will benefit Brookgreen Gardens in its ongoing missions.
“Showcasing unique sculptures and highlighting pioneers in American figurative sculpture is essential to our mission and honors the legacy of our founders, Archer and Anna Huntington,” says Page Kiniry, President and CEO of Brookgreen. “We are delighted to display works from such talented sculptors in their respective mediums.”
Known as one of America's foremost representational sculptors, Mellon is most well-known for his portrait busts, commemorative statues, and works in bronze exploring the worlds of dance, sport, and family life. Some of his most well-known busts will be on display at Brookgreen, including portrait busts of Albert Einstein and entertainer Tony Bennett. This exhibition will also display pieces Mellon made for the NBA and WNBA and recent works created with artists of the American Ballet Theatre, as well as more modern-inspired dance works.
“I love that Brookgreen has given us the opportunity to exhibit a variety of works from our careers,” says Mellon. “Brookgreen is for sculptors. In our view, it is one of the finest collections of the history of American figurative culture in the country.”
Bloch is well known as a pioneer in the use of laser-cut and water jet-cut stainless steel to create figurative works of art. She met her husband at a bronze foundry in 1984, but once she discovered laser cut technology in 1993, she never went back to bronze. Her sculptures explore form and the interplay between object and light and reflect their environments. Bloch expands the way in which stainless steel is used in contemporary art, and some of her stunning silhouettes were already in Brookgreen's permanent collection along the Lowcountry Trail before this exhibition. With this new exhibit, Bloch will build upon those works already on the Lowcountry Trail with pieces that reflect nature.
“I have long appreciated Brookgreen's skillful combination of both nature and art. When Marc and I were young sculptors and first came to Brookgreen, we dreamed we would have artwork here,” says Bloch. “Now, having an exhibit together that is a celebration of our 38 years of creative life together is a dream come true.”
For more information about Brookgreen Gardens, visit www.brookgreen.org.
