ARNIE ZIMMERMAN
Gallery
Old Story, stoneware and porcelain, 72”x22”x22”
Arnie Zimmerman’s “Men in Cities” draws on the historic ceramic traditions of both Europe and Japan. Zimmerman’s wood fired sculptures are a “figurine scale” and talk of human endeavor and folly. The artist’s studio is in New York and his sculptures are of the city and it’s people, post 9/11.
Ceramic figures set within urban architecture go about their daily activities and ordinary tasks, both mundane and remarkable, with a mix of resignation, dignity, humor, and more than a touch of the absurd. On one level, Zimmerman’s sculptures are brilliant parables of folly, the oldest of human themes and on another they ascribe dignity to ordinary tasks. These sculptures comment on human concerns and hum with the complexity of life. If one takes the time to listen, a fascinating story in three dimensional satire prods and pokes the viewer in an effort to be heard.
Arnie Zimmerman’s work is in many public and private collections including: American Craft Museum, New York, NY; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA, The Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, NY; Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC; Museum of Decorative Arts, Montreal, Quebec, among others.