• Biography
  • Exhibitions
  • Drawing
  • Painting (1929-47)
  • Construction (1932-45)
  • Sculpture (1945-69)
  • Public Commission (1955-78)
  • Photogram (1932-41)
  • Lithography
  • Bibliography
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Theodore Roszak

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(1907-1981) First generation New York abstract expressionist artist

sculptor, painter, draughtsman

Theodore Roszak

  • Biography
  • Exhibitions
  • Drawing
  • Painting (1929-47)
  • Construction (1932-45)
  • Sculpture (1945-69)
  • Public Commission (1955-78)
  • Photogram (1932-41)
  • Lithography
  • Bibliography
  • Contact

Bell Tower for M.I.T. Chapel, 1955, Cambridge MA

Aluminum

Theodore Roszak was commissioned to design the bell tower for Eero Saarinen's non-denominational chapel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.

Commissioned for Eero Saarinen Chapel, MIT.

"M.I.T. Chapel & Spire", Time Magazine, 1955.

 

1955_MIT_Tower_chapel.jpg
Roszak (right with hat) directing the workmen
Roszak (right with hat) directing the workmen
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1955_MIT_Men_Working_8.jpg
MIT Chapel models
MIT Chapel models
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MIT Chapel Models
MIT Chapel Models
Small-Scale Model #1 For MIT Bell Tower, 1954
Small-Scale Model #1 For MIT Bell Tower, 1954

Paint on wood 

5 x 5 x 10.25 in

Collection: MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA. Gift of Mrs. Theodore Roszak (1982).

Small-Scale Model #4 For MIT Bell Tower, 1954
Small-Scale Model #4 For MIT Bell Tower, 1954

Paint on wood 

5 x 5 x 10.25 in

Collection: MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA. Gift of Mrs. Theodore Roszak (1982).

 

Model Of Bell For MIT Bell Tower, 1954
Model Of Bell For MIT Bell Tower, 1954

Paint on wood

2.5 x 4.5 in

Collection: MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA. Gift of Mrs. Theodore Roszak (1982).

(Working Drawing For MIT Bell Tower), 1953-55
(Working Drawing For MIT Bell Tower), 1953-55

ink and ink wash on paper 

11 in. x 8.5 in

Collection: MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA. Gift of Mrs. Theodore Roszak (1982).

(Working Drawing For MIT Bell Tower), 1953-55
(Working Drawing For MIT Bell Tower), 1953-55

ink and ink wash on paper 

9 in. x 8.5 in

Collection: MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA. Gift of Mrs. Theodore Roszak (1982).

Yale and Towne Escutcheon, 1956, Stamford, CT

Welded bronze and iron

27.5 x 18 x 4.5 in (69.8 x 45.7 x 11.4 cm)

New Forms in Door Ornamentation, presented by The Yale & Towne Manufacturing Co. at the Wildenstein Gallery, New York, 1956.

 

1956_Escutcheon_Yale_Towne.jpg
1956_Escutcheon_Yale_Towne_Drawing.jpg
1956_Escutcheon_TR.jpg

R.S.Reynolds Memorial, 1957, Richmond, VA

"Visions of Man" probes the question "What is Man?" The sculptures made from aluminum were commissioned by the Trustees of the R.S. Reynolds Memorial.

For all his conquests, man still remains a creature of awe. He feels that there is meaning beyond himself-that the question, What is man?, cannot be answered in terms of man alone.

" The upward thrust of the forms is intended as an invocation, a reverence for life, and the thinner curvilinear strands…metaphorically suggest the mantle, drape or veil which are symbolic of both honor and humility." - Theodore Roszak

1957, Longaker, Jon D., "The New Materials in a New Sculpture", Art in Richmond.

 

 

1957_RS_Reynolds_Memorial_TR_2_web.jpg
Invocation, 1957
Invocation, 1957

Aluminum
26 x 15 x 11 inches without base (66.0 x 38.1 x 27.9 cm)
Collection: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA. Gift of Reynolds Metals Company (1986).

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1957_RS_Reynolds_Memorial_TR_1_web.jpg

Eagle US Embassy, 1960, London, UK

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Model Sculpture Eagle I
Model Sculpture Eagle I
Model Sculpture Eagle II
Model Sculpture Eagle II
Eagle armature in studio with model (lower right)
Eagle armature in studio with model (lower right)

The armature was fabricated in Beacon, NY.

Eero Saarinen Design Team
Eero Saarinen Design Team

The anodized aluminum process for the eagle in Beacon, NY. 

Roszak outside of the foundry
Roszak outside of the foundry

London eagle wing getting ready to be shipped overseas.

World Fair, Forms in Transition, 1964, Queens, NY

Bronze; concrete base

Administered by the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation The Arsenal - Central Park New York New York 10021

Located Flushing Meadow-Corona Park Flushing New York

 

"The forward thrust of his [Theodore Roszak] Forms in Space, forty-two feet long and executed in aluminum over stainless steel, evoked the progressive development of movement, from natural means of human locomotion and the motion of aquatic and airborne creatures to the technological dynamics of the airplane, submarine, and rocket. Sited near the Hall of Science, adjacent to the Space Park, it complemented the theme of the surrounding exhibits with an appropriately metaphorical response to the concept of man's aspiration toward space travel." [Helen A. Harrison, "Art for the Millions or Art for the Market?" Remembering the Future, p.145]

 

Links:

The Museum of the City of New York and the Queens Museum Archival Blog Project

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Sundial General Motors, 1966, Warren, MI

In association with Eero Saarinen Associates. Intended for General Motors Technical Center.

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U.S. Naval Academy Fountain, 1965, Annapolis, MD

Theodore Roszak designed the fountain on the plaza between the two wings of the Science Building now called Michelson and Chauvenet halls. 

This was one of many projects Roszak worked on with architect John Carl Warnecke. 

Location: U.S. Naval Academy Fountain, Annapolis, MD. 

Photo courtesy of U.S. Naval Academy

1965_US_Naval_Academy_Chauvenet-Hall.jpg

Fountain U.S. Court of Claims, Washington D.C. 1967

Bronze

4 x 7 ft. diameter (121.9 x 213.3 cm)

Two identical fountains in two different locations

Collection: Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection U.S. General Services Administration

Locations:

New Executive Office Building

725 17th Street NW, Washington D.C. 20006.

and

Howard T. Markey National Courts Building

717 Madison Pl., NW, Washington, DC 20005

National-Courts-Roszak-Fountain1_web.jpg
National-Courts-Roszak-Fountain2_web.jpg

Sentinel Bellevue Hospital, 1968, New York, NY

Cast bronze plates on copper frame; Base: granite

Location: The sculpture is located at 455 First Avenue at 27th Street, next door to the Public Health Research Institute near Bellevue.

Inscription: "These sculptural forms were conceived in homage to those intrepid men and women who dedicate themselves to science and humanity. - Theodore Roszak”

Collection: The City of New York purchased the sculpture (1968) and it is in the city’s collection

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The Sentinel, 1966
The Sentinel, 1966

Steel and mixed media

Maquette of commissioned outdoor sculpture for the New Public Health Laboratory, NYC

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, University of California, Berkley (1995).

Sentinel, 1966
Sentinel, 1966

Bronze and other metals

27 1/2 x 13 3/4 x 22 inches

Collection: Newark Museum, New Jersey. Gift of Tommasso Lepore in memory of Albert B. Bauer, Chief Architect New York City Department of Public Works (2012).

Eagle/Justice Above All Else, 1970, Court of International Trade, New York, NY

Location: James L. Watson Court of International Trade Building, 1 Federal Plaza, New York, NY, 10278

Theodore Roszak received one of the earliest commissions from the General Services Administration’s Art-in-Architecture Program to make "Eagle" for the U.S. Customs Court in Foley Square, New York. Under this program, the GSA set aside one half of one percent of the construction budget for new federal buildings to purchase public works of art.

Prominent works of modern art are located throughout the Jacob Javits Federal Building & James Watson Court of International Trade, New York, NY. A Study in Five Planes/Peace (1965), a metal stabile by Alexander Calder, and the Manhattan Sentinels (1996) by Beverly Pepper, a cast-iron sculpture that celebrates human aspirations in the city, are found in outdoor public spaces. Two other significant pieces are located in CIT; Seymour Fogel's colorful geometric mosaic Metropolis (1967) is in the lobby and Eagle/Justice Above All Else (1970) by Theodore Roszak is in one of the courtrooms.

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Maquette for Eagle, 1962-66
Maquette for Eagle, 1962-66

Cut and soldered brass mounted on wood base

12 1/2 x 34 3/4 x 9 1/4 in. (31.6 x 88.2 x 23.6 cm)

Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. Transfer from the General Services Administration, Art-in-Architecture Program (1980.)

Night Flight Armand Erpf Memorial, Arkville, NY, 1972

Bronze

8 x 12 feet

Collection: Erpf Family Cemetery, Arkville, New York.

1972_Night_Flight_Bronze_Erpf_outside.jpg
1972_Night_Flight_Bronze_Erpf.jpg

John Hall Wheelock (Death Mask), 1978

Plaster

9 1/4 x 5 7/16 x 4 15/16 inches (23.5 x 13.8 x 12.5 cm) 

Collection: American Academy of Arts and Letters (1978).

 

John Hall Wheelock was an American poet (1886-1978).

 

John Hall Wheelock was elected into the Academy of Arts and Letters in 1948 and Theodore Roszak was elected in 1964. 

 Courtesy the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City. 

Courtesy the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City. 

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Back to Public Commission (1955-78)
12
Bell Tower for M.I.T. Chapel, 1955, Cambridge MA
1956_Escutcheon_Yale_Towne.jpg
4
Yale and Towne Escutcheon, 1956, Stamford, CT
4
R.S.Reynolds Memorial, 1957, Richmond, VA
1960_Current_US_Embassy_Grosvenor_Square.jpg
6
Eagle US Embassy, 1960, London, UK
1964_Flight_Forms_in_Transit_World_Fair©Eric.jpg
4
World Fair, Forms in Transition, 1964, Queens, NY
1
Sundial General Motors, 1966, Warren, MI
1965_US_Naval_Academy_Chauvenet Hall_thumb.jpg
2
U.S. Naval Academy Fountain, 1965, Annapolis, MD
National-Courts-Roszak-Fountain1_thumb.jpg
2
Fountain U.S. Court of Claims, Washington D.C. 1967
1968_Sentinel_PHL_1.png
6
Sentinel Bellevue Hospital, 1968, New York, NY
1970_Eagle_Justice_Above_All_Else_Commission.JPG
3
Eagle/Justice Above All Else, 1970, Court of International Trade, New York, NY
1972_Night_Flight_Bronze_Erpf_outside_thumb.jpg
2
Night Flight Armand Erpf Memorial, Arkville, NY, 1972
1978_John_Hall_Wheelock_Deathmask_thumb.jpg
1
John Hall Wheelock (Death Mask), 1978

Theodore Roszak worked on public commissions from 1955-1970. These works include collaborating with architect Eero Saarinen, exhibiting in The World Fair (1964), participating in the New York City Public Department & the General Services Administration’s Art-in-Architecture Program, and creating memorials for patrons of the arts such as R.S. Reynolds (Metal industrialist) and Armand Erpf (NY Publisher and Banker).

Public Collections:

American Academy of Arts and Letters, NY

City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation, NY

City of New York Department of Public Health New York, NY

Queens Museum, NY

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, University of California, Berkeley, CA

MIT List Visual Arts Center, MA

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.

Whitney Museum of American Art, NY

Unless specified all images

© Estate of Theodore Roszak / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.