Tony Rosenthal


Bernard J. Rosenthal, also known as Tony Rosenthal, was an American abstract sculptor best known for creating monumental public art sculptures for over seven decades.

Biography

Tony Rosenthal was born August 9, 1914 in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. After attending
sculpture classes at The Art Institute of Chicago in the early 1930s, he attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, graduating with a B.A. in 1936. He also studied with Archipenko in Chicago that year, and in 1939 attended the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where he studied with Carl Milles.
From 1942 to 1946, he served in the US Army, attending the Corps of Engineers Officer Candidate School in Virginia. Later he became a unit commander in England. In 1945, he taught at American University for the education of GIs in Biarritz, France.

Public Art

Named a by Sam Hunter, professor and art critic, Tony Rosenthal created monumental sculptures for seven decades; Tony Rosenthal received his first public art commission when he created "A Nubian Slave" for the 1939 World's Fair.
For two decades the artist created sculpture as "Bernard Rosenthal', his birth name. In 1960 Tony Rosenthal met and started exhibiting with legendary art dealer Sam Kootz who eventually became Rosenthal's exclusive art dealer, who also represented Pablo Picasso. Kootz encouraged Rosenthal to abandon figurative sculpture and create abstract geometric sculpture which won the artist even wider acclaim. Kootz also encouraged Rosenthal to use his nickname, "Tony", and beginning 1960, Rosenthal was professionally known and credited as Tony Rosenthal for all art created by the artist.
Tony Rosenthal's "Alamo", the monumental 15 foot Cor-Ten steel sculpture, also known as the "Astor Place Cube" is the most famous Rosenthal public art sculpture. Tony Rosenthal , was first installed at Astor Place as part of Doris Freedman's "Sculpture in Environment" Installation, sponsored by the New York Administration of Recreation & Cultural Affairs and now one of public art sculptures in New York City by Tony Rosenthal.
Edward Albee, three-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright was a friend and collector of Tony Rosenthal. In the introduction to the "Tony Rosenthal," Monograph edited by Sam Hunter, published by Rizzoli, 1999, Edward Albee said "Tony works in all sizes. His monumental outdoor pieces, set in landscapes or in busy city spaces, seem always to have been there. His more intimate Wall Sculptures and standing forms have a monumentality no matter what their actual size. Like all the important metal workers - like Stankiewicz, like Caro, like Serra, like Chamberlain - Rosenthal's objects instruct us, alter our perceptions, disturb and thrill us by their audacity, their wonder and their inevitability."
Rosenthal exhibited all over the world in solo and group shows. In addition to the legendary Kootz Gallery, New York, Tony Rosenthal received numerous one man exhibitions at M. Knoedler & Company, New York; André Emmerich Gallery, New York; Maxwell Davidson Gallery, New York; Catherine Viviano Gallery, New York and Denise Rene, Paris.
Sculpture created by Tony Rosenthal is owned by collections around the world, including: Chrysler Museum: "Big Six", 1977; Connecticut College: "Memorial Cube", 1972; Israel Museum: "Oracle", 1960; Long House Reserve: "Mandala", 1994-95, "Rites of Spring", 1997; Los Angeles County Museum of Art: "Things Invisible to See", 1960, "Harp Player", 1950; Milwaukee Art Museum: "Big Six", 1977, "Maquette for Hammarskjold", 1977; National Gallery of Art: "Magpole", 1965; San Diego Museum of Art: "Odyssey", 1974.
© Estate of Tony Rosenthal / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society, NY
In 1953, Rosenthal taught at the University of California, Los Angeles
He died in Southampton, New York on July 28, 2009. He is survived by his second wife, Cynthia Dillon Rosenthal.

Works

Tony Rosenthal was best known for his large outdoor geometric abstract sculptures. Rosenthal public art in public places include:
with Tony Rosenthal ’’T-Square’’ at Grove Isle, Miami, Florida © Estate of Tony Rosenthal / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society, NY

Copyright

Although Tony Rosenthal created a substantial amount of public art that doesn't mean the art and images created by Rosenthal are in the public domain and without copyright protection. All images and art created by Tony "Bernard" Rosenthal, including all public art is protected by U.S. copyright and licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society, NY, the copyright agent for Tony Rosenthal. To this point, the official Tony Rosenthal website stipulates : "All art created by Tony "Bernard" Rosenthal, including all sculpture located in public places is ©Tony Rosenthal and protected by the Visual Artists Rights Act. Permission is required to reproduce, photograph, sell and/or use any art created by Tony Rosenthal, in any manner, and for any reason, from VAGA at Artists Rights Society, NY, copyright agent for Tony Rosenthal."
Copyright protection of all Tony Rosenthal art prohibits taking a photograph and/or including Rosenthal public art in a video on tv or in film, etc., without explicit permission from , Rosenthal's copyright agent. In Gaylord v United States, 595 F.3d 1364, an artist created a sculpture for the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington DC depicting 19 soldiers. The Postal Service made a stamp with a picture showing the sculpture. The court ruled that the stamp was not fair use and the Postal Service had violated the sculptor's copyright.