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Bert Flugelman

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Herbert Flugelman AM (28 January 1923 – 26 February 2013), usually known as Bert, was a prominent Australian visual artist, primarily a sculptor, who had many of his works publicly displayed. He is known for his stainless steel geometric public sculptures. Among his best-known works are the "Mall's Balls" in Adelaide, and "the Silver Shish Kebab" (Pyramid Tower) in Sydney.

Early life and education

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Herbert Flugelman was born in Vienna, Austria, on 28 January 1923,[1] the son of Leopold and Irma Flugelman (née Feldman). As the Nazis came to power in the 1930s, Leopold was the first to come to Australia, in his official capacity as an agent for the German fabric company he worked for. He then arranged visas for his second wife, Annie, and Herbert to come as well. After queuing for three days for a train leaving Vienna, Herbert was initially turned away for not having the right papers. His uncle intervened, telling the guards that they were supposed to be getting rid of Jews, and Herbert was allowed to board. He met Annie in Genoa, Italy, where in 1938 they boarded a boat to Fremantle, Western Australia, before travelling to Sydney. Leopold got a job as a hotel doorman, later becoming manager. Herbert's mother Irma also escaped Australia, initially to London and then moving to the United States after the war, where she remarried.[2][3]

Flugelman first worked as a jackaroo.[2] From 1943 to 1946 Flugelman served in the Australian Army[4] (although, being a foreign national, he was not allowed to fight[2]).

From 1948 to 1951, he studied at the National Art School (East Sydney Technical College) in Sydney,[3] where he studied painting under Frank Hinder.[1]

Career

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From 1951 to 1955, he travelled to Europe, including a visit in 1954 to Spain with his artist friend John Copnall.[5] In 1952, he contracted polio in Vienna, spending some time being treated in a London hospital. The disease left him with severe disabilities in one arm and one leg.[2] However, this did not stop him holding several successful exhibitions at the Piccadilly Gallery in London, including his first solo exhibition. He then moved to New York City,[1] where his work was exhibited in the Bourne Gallery. He returned to Australia in 1955.[4]

After a fire destroyed much of his work in his studio, Flugelman reassessed his career, and started to concentrate on sculpture. His first commission was by an Australian oil company in 1962, and other commissions followed, notably a bronze sculpture for UNSW (1964) and a copper and ceramic fountain for ANU (1966).[1] In 1967, he created a sculpture called Equestrian, and in 1969, Black Box. In 1972, he created a work of performance art, called Burning Euphonium, in which he doused flames on a sculpture.[1]

Cones (1976-1982) in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

However, a particular sculpture created in 1971, comprising six tetrahedrons, proved to be a turning point in his career. First shown at Hawthorn Art Gallery, they were subsequently exhibited at several locations in ensuing years. A 1972 exhibition at the atters [sic?] Gallery in Sydney was also significant.[1]

In 1972, Flugelman moved to Adelaide.[1] From 1972 to 1983, Flugelman was a lecturer at the South Australian School of Art, and subsequently became head of sculpture.[3] During this period, he completed some of his most famous work, in particular Tetrahedra, also known as Festival Sculpture (1974/5), at the Adelaide Festival Centre; Spheres, popularly known as the Mall's Balls (1977), in Rundle Mall, Adelaide; and Cones (1982), at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.[1] Tetrahedra consists of seven tetrahedra made of shiny polished stainless steel, and reflects the 1970s Australian modernist style of the Adelaide Festival Centre.[6][7] During this period, he also lectured at the City Art Institute in Sydney[3] (now UNSW Art & Design).

From 1984 to 1990, Flugelman was senior lecturer and fellow at the School of Creative Arts, University of Wollongong. In 1991, he was made professorial fellow at the university, and in 1995 received an honorary Doctorate of Creative Art (Honoris Causa). In 1997, he received the Australia Council, Visual Arts/Craft Fund, Emeritus Award.[3][2]

In 2008, a hard-bound survey of his post-1968 sculptures, primarily his stainless-steel work, was published by The Watermark Press. It was written by Emeritus Professor Peter Pinson (whose Sydney art gallery represented Flugelman), with photography by David Perry. The book was designed by Harry Williamson.[8]

Art practice

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After starting his career with painting, Flugelman turned to sculpture in the late 1950s after fire destroyed his studio. He began creating semi-figurative expressionist sculptures, then from the late 1960s he helped to lead a new wave of practices, with range of forms that included object-based sculptures as well as installations along with works of conceptual and performance art.[1]

He experimented with a variety of materials, including ceramics, fibreglass, and aluminium, but his preferred medium was stainless steel, which he felt linked to the environment because of its reflectiveness.[1]

He had a strong commitment to experimental art, which, according to artist and critic Donald Brook, "prevented him from acquiring a signature 'style' of the sort that would have projected him into the art history books in the usual way".[2]

Group activities

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Flugelman helped to run Tin Sheds art collective at Sydney University from 1969 to 1972. He was also a founding member of Optronic Kinetics, a group who produced kinetic sculptures and other projects.[1]

He was a founding member of the Experimental Art Foundation (EAF) in Adelaide in 1974.[2] Initiated by Donald Brook, he was joined by Flugelman[9] (who had moved from Sydney at Brook's suggestion), Ian North, Clifford Frith, and Phil Noyce.[10] According to Brook, the EAF was "an engine for shaping beliefs about the meaning of works of art and the point of making them".[2]

Flugelman as Lecturer in Sculpture along with Max Lyle as Head of Sculpture at the South Australian School of Art helped facilitate the establishment of South Australian Workshop (SAW) - Artist Cooperative at 7 Rutland Place, Adelaide in July 1978. Flugelman was an active member for several years.

Most of the first members of SAW were ex-graduate students direct from the SA School of Art (Sculpture Dept) who completed their studies in 1977. The idea formed from the need to have a workspace for mostly sculpture graduates so they could make a better transition from Art School life to life as a practicing artist. SAW facilitated over 75 South Australian artists until closing in the early 2000s.

Personal life

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In 1948, he met Betty Green at a dance on the beach at Cronulla, and soon afterwards they married and travelled to Europe.[2]

Flugelman later married to Rosemary (nee Pryor[2]), with whom he had four children; he was also stepfather to three others.[11]

He lived in the village of Jambaroo, near Wollongong, from 1983.[1]

Recognition and criticism

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Flugelman's career was not without controversy, such as "The Silver Shish Kebab", aka Pyramid Tower, a 19-metre (62 ft) tower of stainless steel pyramids and tetrahedra, placed in Martin Place, Sydney. After being heavily criticised by Sydney Lord Mayor Frank Sartor, the sculpture was moved to the corner of Spring and Pitt Streets.[13][14][15] Pyramid Tower was a commissioned work, created as a memorial to William Dobell.[1][2]

Another work which attracted press coverage was his satirical sculptural portrait of British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, created accidentally when sawing wood with a chainsaw when he was living in a rainforest near Kiama, south of Sydney.[2]

Max Cullen wrote in 2002:[16]

Much of Flugelman's work can be seen as a triumph of the human spirit — the dignified complex aspect that makes us feel good about ourselves. Not all of Bert Flugelman's scupture [sic] is designed to be taken too seriously. His gigantic Boule, a salute to the popular French sport, is testimony that art can be pure fun.

Death and legacy

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Flugelman died on 26 February 2013 at his home in Bowral, on the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. His memorial service was held at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park in Sydney.[11]

Flugelman's archive is held in the Art Gallery of NSW's National Art Archive.[1]

According to artist and critic Donald Brook, Flugelman had a profound effect on the "conservative art world" Adelaide in the 1970s, and influenced many still practising artists "not only because of his exemplary teaching and captivating personality. It owed a good deal to his ability to conjure large and surprisingly popular works of public sculpture out of an intractable material".[2]

Collections

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Flugelman's work is held in collections around Australia, including:

Selected works

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The following is a partial list of the Flugelman's completed works.

Year Work Location Image
1962 high relief sand panels cast in concrete A.O.R., Kurnell, New South Wales
1965 untitled six figure group, cast bronze, commissioned 1964[20] Goldstein courtyard, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales
1966–1967 untitled, welded copper and mosaic fountain[21] Bruce Hall, Australian National University, Canberra untitled (welded copper and mosaic fountain)
1967 NSW Coat of Arms, double-sided in oxidised bronze[22] State Office Block, Phillip and Bent Streets, Sydney (demolished 1997)
1973 Continuum, stainless steel sculpture[23] Garden South of Johnson Building, University of Adelaide, Adelaide
1974 Tattooed Lady, painted earthenware sculpture of a naked woman[24] covered with erotic oriental figures[2] Art Gallery of South Australia
1974 Tetrahedra (Festival Sculpture), stainless steel sculpture[6] Adelaide Festival Centre, plaza Tetrahedra
1975 The Knot, stainless steel sculpture[25] Light Square, Adelaide (since 2003), 1975–1995 at Art Gallery of South Australia
1975 Earthwork, buried stainless steel sculpture[26] Commonwealth Park, Canberra
1977 Spheres, stainless steel sculpture (popularly known as the Mall's Balls,[27] and sometimes Bert's Balls[28]) Rundle Mall, Adelaide Spheres (Mall's Balls)
1978 Spiral and Wave, stainless steel sculpture[29] Outside Wollongong City Gallery, Wollongong, New South Wales
1978 Pyramid Tower (Dobell Memorial), stainless steel sculpture (Silver Shish Kebab) Spring Street, Sydney (initially at Martin Place, Sydney) Pyramid Tower (Dobell Memorial or Silver Shish Kebab)
1978/1979 Tumbling Cubes, stainless steel sculpture[30] Margaret Timpson Town Park, Belconnen, Canberra Tumbeling Cubes
1982 Cones, stainless steel sculpture, commissioned 1976[31] Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Cones
1985 Gateway to Mount Keira, stainless steel sculpture[32] University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales
1985 stainless steel sculpture Penrith Regional Gallery, Emu Plains, New South Wales
1988 Winged Figure, stainless steel sculpture[29][33] (Lawrence Hargrave Memorial) University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales Winged Figure (Lawrence Hargrave Memorial)
1988 three sculptures Melbourne Hotel Development
1995/1996 stainless steel, granite, bronze, sandstone sculpture private collection
1999/2000 Federation Arch, stainless steel sculpture[34] Orange Botanical Gardens, Orange, New South Wales
2004/2005 Caryatid minotaur, stainless steel sculpture[35]
2005 Tribute, sculpture honouring Richard Llewellyn, stainless steel and black granite Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide
2006 Slow Spiral, stainless steel sculpture, installed 2007[36] Queens Plaza, Brisbane
2007 Tetrapus, stainless steel sculpture
2007 Three sculptures from the Transition series[37] Library, Wollongong University, Wollongong, New South Wales
2009 Serpent II, stainless steel sculpture Foyer, 28 Freshwater Place, Melbourne Serpent II
2009 Stainless steel sculpture[38] Corbett Plaza, Bong Bong Street, Bowral NSW
2011 Ammonite[2] For the "Sculpture by the Sea" outdoor exhibition in Sydney[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Herbert Flugelman". Art Gallery of NSW. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Brook, Donald (27 February 2013). "Master sculptor had passion for experimentation". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Faculty of Creative Arts @ UOW". Herbert Flugelman. 24 September 2007. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008.
  4. ^ a b Elton, Jude; Manning, Catherine. "Bert Flugelman". SA History Hub. History Trust of South Australia. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. ^ Jerry Knight, All About Horsham Magazine, Article on Bainbridge Copnall, May 2013
  6. ^ a b "Tetrahedra". City of Adelaide. 4 February 2002. Archived from the original on 3 April 2011.
  7. ^ Fazakerley, Ruth (February 2012). "Art and the urban plaza: from landscape to environment". ResearchGate. Presented at a conference entitled Urban Transformations: Booms, Busts and other Catastrophes, at the University of Western Australia, originally published in Proceedings of the 11th Australasian Urban History/Planning History Conference (2012); uploaded online by the author in 2018.
  8. ^ Pinson, P.; Perry, D. (2008). Flugelman. Watermark Press. ISBN 978-0-949284-83-9. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  9. ^ Foster, Farrin (7 April 2021). "The power of performance: How Adelaide's experimental art scene is being reignited". InDaily. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  10. ^ Mendelssohn, Joanna (2018). "Donald Brook b. 8 January 1927". Design & Art Australia Online.
  11. ^ a b "Herbert FLUGELMAN Death Notice". Sydney Morning Herald. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Artists by artists". Art Gallery of NSW. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  13. ^ "The Silver Shish Kebab". Sydney Daily Photo. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Controversial artist Flugelman dies at 90". 9News. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Death of sculptor who created Sydney's 'silver shish kebab'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  16. ^ Cullen, Max. Bert Flugelman: City Sculptor. 16 June 2002, Sunday (NineMSN)
  17. ^ "Bert Flugelman". Art Gallery of South Australia - Online Collection. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  18. ^ "Self portrait, c. 1985". National Portrait Gallery collection. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  19. ^ "Audio Descriptions - Who Are You: Australian Portraiture" (audio description). NGV. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  20. ^ [1], UNSW Art Collection Sculpture Walk
  21. ^ Bert Flugelman: Untitled, Sculpture on Acton Campus, Australian National University
  22. ^ "NSW Coat of Arms, State Office Block". NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  23. ^ Continuum in Public Art Online, City of Adelaide
  24. ^ "Tattooed lady". Art Gallery of South Australia - Online Collection. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  25. ^ The Knot Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine in Public Art Online, City of Adelaide
  26. ^ "Why would anyone bury a sculpture in Commonwealth Park?". ABC News. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  27. ^ Spheres Archived 30 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine in Public Art Online, City of Adelaide
  28. ^ Elton, Jude. "Spheres". Adelaidia. History Trust of South Australia. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Public Art Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2007. (775 KB) , City of Wollongong
  30. ^ Margaret Timpson Town Park
  31. ^ Flugelman, Bert: Cones
  32. ^ Bert Flugelman: Gateway to Mount Keira Archived 3 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine in UOW Art Collection
  33. ^ Bert Flugelman: Winged Figure Archived 3 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine in UOW Art Collection
  34. ^ Bert Flugelman – Federation Arch in Public Art, Orange Regional Council
  35. ^ Sculpture Prize 2005
  36. ^ Queens Plaza Flugelman
  37. ^ Bert Flugelman in the Library Archived 18 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ Murray, Robyn (22 July 2009). "Get a glimpse of future sculpture". Southern Highland News. Retrieved 15 March 2019.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bert Flugelman.
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