catalog text
FREDERICK HART
United States, 1943-1999
"Arm of Adam" (clay model 1975/1976, editioned in bronze in 2002)
Patinated bronze | foundry mark to edge, cold-stamped "45/65 (c) 2002 HART & P.E.C.E", engraved "Hart"
Item # 406ORB02A
Originally conceived in 1975/1976 in clay, this fine example of Frederick Hart's "Arm of Adam" was released in 2002 as an edition of 65 casts, of which this is the 45th. A rich and fluid work of modernism, it is derived from his 81" model of a lifesize Adam conceived the same year. It is included in the Frederick Hart Catalogue Raisonne as # 158. A silky example in pristine condition. The sculpture is retailed for $ 19,850 by a few galleries that represent Hart's larger body of editioned work.
A single figure from his career defining group of work commissioned as part of the The Creation Sculptures at Washington National Cathedral, Hart's figure of Adam stands in the entrance to the National Cathedral as the central column beneath the Ex Nihilo. He emerges organically from the facade to divide the doors and raise the massive relief above him. His eyes are closed and his figure almost feels like it is in motion, rising and moving rapidly through space unbound by time. Blood is rushing through his body, enlarging the veins in his muscled arms and open hands. In writing about Hart, Homan Potterton notes “Adam is Everyman, pulled from the waters of baptism, concrete and universal, led by the fire of day by night, and the cloud of night by day — triumphing over the powers of darkness - emergent radiant in light.”
After Ex Nihilo and Adam were carved into the building, the original plaster models of the sculptures were brought back to Frederick Hart’s studio where they remain to this day. In the studio molds were taken and a cast was made of Adam's right arm, the present model seen as it lightly grasps the stone behind him. They are copyrighted by the National Cathedral and the bronze edition of the fragment was authorized with just 65 casts.
Measurements: 21 3/8" H x 7 3/8" D x 8" W
Condition Report:
Excellent showroom condition, cleaned and a very fine presentation.