The Fine Arts Center exhibited a stunning selection of religious and spiritual bronze works by legendary artist Gib Singleton. His sculptures communicate an unmistakable vitality, which connects with viewers on a fundamental level.
One of the most important bronze sculptors living today, Singleton is considered a modern master in the tradition of Rodin and Donatello. His works often have religious connotations, and he is perhaps the only artist to be represented simultaneously in the collections of the Vatican Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and the State of Israel, among many others.
Born in 1936 in Kennett, Missouri, Singleton studied at the Art Institute of Chicago before receiving a Fulbright Fellowship to the Accademia di Belle Arti in Italy. His study of the Italian Masters then led to work in the Vatican art studio, where he assisted in the restoration of Michelangelo’s Pieta. He designed the bronze crucifix on the crozier carried by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, and another of his crosses rests beside the Shroud of Turin. Singleton was named an official artist for the 2008 US Olympic Team, and he continues to work in Santa Fe.