Harry Gordon

"When I begin working with a piece of wood, I rotate it until I find a position where it begins to work as a sculpture. Then I start carving. Wood has a spirit and a natural gesture within it."
-Harry Gordon

Harry Gordon was born in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas and now lives in Lambertville, New Jersey. As a teenager, he started sculpting in a community art class. His teacher arranged for him to an apprentice to Boris Blai, a classically trained Russian figurative sculptor who had worked in Auguste Rodin's studio.

Gordon began his sculpture career with a very classical, figurative beginning. His materials and forms have changed a great deal over the years, but it is still possible to find remnants of the figure in his work. He work now focuses on sculpture that is "larger than life." The materials he uses for his sculptures are primarily wood and granite. He does not create maquettes for his sculptures; he relies more on the natural shape of the wood.

The types of wood that Gordon uses in his sculpture are oak, maple, ash, and elm. Much of his wood comes from trees cut down by tree removal services, as Gordon prefers not to cut trees only for the purpose of carving. He creates larger than life organic sculptures, which are designed to "exist naturally in the landscape."

Education and Training
M.F.A. in Sculpture, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, 1987
B.F.A., Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

Teachers and Influences
Studied with Boris Blai (who studied under Rodin) near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Rodger Mack, Isaac Witkin, Mark DiSuvero

Connection to Bucks County
Harry Gordon resides in Lambertville, NJ.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Patrick Strzelec, Jay Whooly

Major Group Exhibitions
M.F.A. Group Exhibition, Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, New Brunswick, NJ, 1987
Six Sculptors, Genest Gallery, Lambertville, NJ, 1987
19 Outdoor Sculptures, Carnegie Center Greenway, Princeton, NJ
Contemporary Sculpture 1991-1992, Quietude Garden Gallery, East Brunswick, NJ, 1991, 1992
Group Show at 112 Greene Street, New York, NY, 1991
16th Annual Bucks County Sculpture Show, Doylestown, PA, 1993
Recent Works: Harry Gordon and Larry Steele, One Main Sculpture Space, Brooklyn, NY, 1994
Exhibiting sculpture at the New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ, 1995-present
Spring/Summer 1995(1996) Exhibition, Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ, 1995-1996
Altered Images, The Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, 1995
Five Chinese Elements, The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie, Cadwalder Park, Trenton, NY, 1995-1996
1996 Station Plaza Sculpture Walk, Trenton, NJ
SUNY Plattsburgh Sculpture Park, Projects and Proposals, Plattsburgh, NY, 1996, 1997-present
Group exhibition, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum, Hamilton, OH, 1997-present
Group exhibition, DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA, October 1997-present
ART/OMI Outdoor Sculpture, Ghent, NY, 1997-present
Art in the Embassies Program, U.S. Embassy, Vienna, Austria, 1998- 2001
Convergence XI, Providence, RI, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002
Sculpture on the Prairie, 1999, Celia and Willet Wandell Sculpture Garden, Urbana, IL, 1998- 2000
Pier Walk, Chicago, IL, 1999, 2001, 2002
The Artists of Hunterdon County, Hunterdon Museum of Art, Clinton, NJ, 2000
Outdoor sculpture at Woodmere Art Museum, Chestnut Hill, PA, 2000-2001
Artsbridge Gallery, Prallsville Mills, Stockton, NJ, 2000, 2001, 2002
Off the Wall: Sculpture by Artists Affiliated with Rutgers University, Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, 2001
Mass Medium, 5 pieces of sculpture, Garment District, New York, NY

Major Solo Exhibitions
Harry H. Gordon at Morris Arboretum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, October 1994-October 1996
Outdoor Sculpture at Chapin School, Princeton, NJ, 1999-present
Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA, December 2000-December 2001
Outdoor Sculpture Program: James A. Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, PA, January 1-April 30, 2016

Major Collections
Hall Financial Group, Dallas, Texas
The Grove School, Manchester, CT
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Goergen, Greenwich, CT
Ms. G. Finkel Freedman, Delray Beach, FL
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Hamilton, OH
Plattsburgh Sculpture Park, Plattsburgh, NY
Nexus Properties, Trenton, NJ
Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ
The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA
Mitchell Museum, Mt. Vernon, IL
Mr. Matthew Strauss, Rancho Sante Fe, CA
Runnemede Sculpture Farm, San Francisco, CA
Cheyney University Permanent Collection, Cheyney, PA
Michener Art Museum, Pfundt Sculpture Garden, Doylestown, PA
West Chester University Permanent Collection, West Chester, PA
City of Allentown, Pennsylvania Permanent Collection
Public Art Trust Permanent Collection, Fort Pierce, FL
Ursinus College Permanent Collection, Collegeville, PA
Edinburgh University Permanent Collection, Edinburgh, PA
Lehigh University Permanent Collection, Bethlehem, PA
Mr. and Mrs. Philip Berman, Allentown, PA
Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Dulman, Miami, FL
Mr. and Mrs. Lionel Savadove, Solebury, PA

Major Awards
Fellowship award by the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Inc., 1992
Grant award by the Herk Van Toneren Memorial Sculpture Fund, 1989
Best in Show, Contemporary Sculpture 1991-1992, Quietude Garden Gallery

Affiliations and Memberships
Artsbridge, Lambertville, NJ
Philadelphia Sculptors, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
International Sculpture Center, NJ
College Art Association, NY