Art@Site www.artatsite.com Gidon Graetz Mind. Body and Spirit
Artist:

Gidon Graetz

Title:

Mind, Body and Spirit

Year:
1986
Adress:
401 S. Hope Street
Website:
www.crala.org:
Marking the entrance to the YMCA at the corner of Hope and 4th Street is Gidon Graetz's "Mind, Body, and Spirit." Graetz's polished 20'h x 20'w stainless steel and bronze abstract sculpture embodies the YMCA's core mission. The piece is mounted on a black granite base and located on the public plaza adjacent to the street. Graetz forged his sculpture out of stainless steel and bronze sheets at his own foundry.

www.publicartinla.com:
The third work unveiled at the YMCA dedication is the graceful sculpture by Gidon Graetz marking the entrance to the grounds at the corner of Hope and 4th Street. Titled "Composition for Stainless Steel No. 1" when Graetz designed the piece in 1985, it was retitled with the motto of the YMCA to connect the sculpture to the spirit of the organization. After being contacted by Morgan Adams in 1985, Graetz inspected the proposed location for the sculpture and working with a model of the site, enlarged his design to make it compatible with the size and scale of the setting. The visual relationship between the work and its physical surroundings can be changed by pushing the sculpture and making it rotate on its black granite base. "Mind, Body and Spirit" is linked by its materials to the color and materials of the YMCA building. Graetz forged his sculpture out of stainless steel and bronze sheets at his own foundry, which is the same foundry where Hebald had his two works for the YMCA fabricated. "Mind, Body and Spirit" was donated in memory of Morgan Adams, Sr., James H. Adams and the well-known movie director King Vidor, who was Morgan Adams, Jr.'s father-in-law.

www.crala.org:
Born in Tel Aviv in 1929, Gidon Graetz moved to Europe to study art in the mid-1950s. In Florence, he studied at Accademia delle Belle Arti under the guidance of sculptor Pericle Fazzini. He furthered his studies in Paris at Les Beaux Arts under Marcel Gimond. Graetz settled near Florence where he opened a foundry. He casts his sculptures in the spirit of the method used during the Renaissance. Known for his mastery with metals, he developed a new technique in bending and soldering stainless steel and bronze which is evident in his many monumental public sculptures. He has exhibited his work internationally with many of his sculptures permanently sited in the United States, Germany, Israel, and Australia

www.wikipedia.org:
Gidon Graetz (* 1929 in Tel Aviv) ist ein Israelischer Bildhauer.
Graetz wurde in Tel Aviv geboren und wuchs in Haifa auf. Mitte der fünfziger Jahre des 20. Jahrhunderts studierte er Kunst an der Accademia della Belle Arti in Florenz sowie an der École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris.
Sein künstlerisches Schaffen ist auf die Erstellung von Metallplastiken jeglicher Größe ausgerichtet. Der Stil ist beeinflusst von Constantin Brâncuși und Henry Moore.
Seine monumentalen öffentlichen Plastiken sind in vielen Städten der Welt anzutreffen wie z. B. Tel Aviv, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin oder Zürich.
Translation:
Gidon Graetz (born 1929, Tel Aviv) is a Swiss-Israeli sculptor. He studied in the mid-1950s at Accademia delle Belle Arti in Firenze and at Les Beaux-Arts in Paris.
His artistic work is focused on the production of metal sculptures of any size. The style is influenced by Constantin Brâncuși, and Henry Moore.
His public art sculptures are found widespread in cities such as Zürich, Detroit, New York City, Los Angeles, Brisbane, Chicago and Berlin, and has exhibited work in Europe, Australia and the United States.