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UAB School of Arts and Humanities

Stella and Caro: In the realm of modern sculpture, few names are more celebrated than these two. Art lovers the world over flock to see the sculpture and minimalist paintings of Frank Stella—large circles, arcs, and squares of intricately designed color and line—and the three-dimensional creations of Sir Anthony Caro, a master of materials from steel to paper to stone.

The works of these modern legends are showcased in the museums, parks, and galleries of the world’s preeminent artistic centers, from New York to Amsterdam to Paris. Now they also grace the campus of UAB.

BIRMINGHAM'S NEW PRINCESS

The new Stella sculpture is maintained by the Birmingham Museum of Art, although it’s installed near the Alys Stephens Center at UAB, not far from UAB’s Visual Arts Gallery. Brett Levine, curator of the gallery, doesn’t hesitate to advertise the sculpture’s UAB placement. “I’m thrilled that the piece is just around the corner,” he says. “We don’t own it, but we can still say we have a Stella on campus!”

The Stella sculpture is part of a small series dedicated to German writer Heinrich von Kleist, author of the play Der Prinz von Hamburg. A sculpture of the title character is in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and another piece in the series is in Stuttgart, Germany. Birmingham’s piece, Prinzessin Natalie, is likewise named for a character in the play.

Gail Trechsel, director of the Birmingham Museum of Art, proudly points out that Stella’s painting Flin Flon (1970) was the museum’s first major purchase of contemporary art. Over the 30 years since, the facility has become the largest municipally owned art museum in the Southeast, boasting more than 25,000 pieces.

Stella, who visited UAB for the installation of his piece, pays high compliments to the museum. “The Birmingham Museum of Art is impressive,” he says. “It has an elegant collection and compares favorably to just about any regional museum in the country.”

TWO PAPER MASTERWORKS

The UAB Visual Arts Gallery itself recently acquired two paper sculptures by Anthony Caro. “Anthony Caro is probably the most famous British sculptor of the 20th century,” says Levine, who expects the prestigious additions to have a snowball effect. As the museum, Visual Arts Gallery, and other art outlets across the area acquire more and more work by international artists, more people will want to donate to such distinguished collections, he says.

Not only are the new pieces a good draw for the community, but they are also a valuable educational resource. Levine says the works enhance UAB’s strong emphasis on three-dimensional art and introduce students to a new medium. “Students can come in and see and touch international sculptures,” he says. “They can see from the Caro pieces that the medium of sculpture isn’t fixed. Sculptures don’t have to be created by pouring hot metal into a mold; you can use your skills through any medium.”

The city’s fast-growing collection is made possible by many local benefactors with an interest in making Birmingham a culturally rich city. Ruth and Marvin Engel were largely responsible for bringing the new Stella piece to town, and an anonymous donor deserves thanks for contributing the two new Caro sculptures at UAB.

INSTALLING LEGACIES

Many other individuals, businesses, and organizations also deserve credit for helping to build Birmingham’s collection of art, but perhaps none more so than the late Samuel Barker, Ph.D., former dean of the UAB Graduate School, who donated many artworks permanently on display in locations all over the city—and especially on the UAB campus. He was honored in 1995 by a group of UAB physicians who commissioned a sculpture of him, located in UAB’s Mervyn Sterne Library.

“He was one of the most committed and dedicated individuals to sculpture I ever met,” says Levine, who is working to make the Samuel B. Barker Outdoor Sculpture Competition—founded and originally funded by Barker—one of the nation’s premier sculpture contests.

The Barker Competition is held every two years; in the past, five sculptures were selected for a one-year display at selected sites on the UAB campus, and one of these sculptures was then purchased for UAB’s permanent collection for an amount up to $10,000. This year, one winner—Vaughn Randall, of Birmingham—will receive $25,000 to complete and install his piece on campus. To put that in perspective, Levine notes that the Hugo Boss Prize awards $50,000 for additions to the Guggenheim in New York.

“I don’t think people realize just how major this amount of money is,” says Levine. “It makes us a real player in the public-arts world.” Six finalists created maquettes, or small-scale models, of their work for this year’s competition; Randall’s piece, Rosette Bobbin, is a cast-iron sculpture inspired by the historic stained-glass window of UAB’s Spencer Honors House. Levine says the new sculpture will be installed near the Spencer House. “It’s a work that has a strong conceptual relationship to its site and is artistically well-finished and resolved,” he says.

Seeing the installation process will be a great opportunity for UAB students, adds Levine. “It will teach them that a sculpture isn’t finished when the metal cools. It’s finished when it’s placed in its environment.” He hopes to add a new piece to the campus every two or three years. And as the Visual Arts Gallery and the Birmingham Museum of Art continue to develop both their collections and their reputations, the community as a whole will benefit, he says. “The culture in Birmingham is helping to shift old perceptions,” says Levine. “It shows that Birmingham is a growing, vibrant arts community.”