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Geometry is the central focus in the work of Harriet FeBland; however, her approach is not strictly analytical--rather she explores the mystery and beauty of geometric forms and shapes. FeBland was drawn to this subject matter due to a belief that it is a “universal imagery.” She states, “Geometry is a force, it has its own power and because of this it became my language of choice to best express the meaning of my work—its symbolism and content.” Because of this humanization of the mathematics of shapes, Paul Mocsanyi, former director of the New School Art Center at the New School for Social Research in New York City has dubbed her “the poet of geometry.” In her sculpture Moon Song, two refined marble components present the calm, mystical presence of a monolith, especially when compared with her other, more visually active and colorful works. The elongated pyramid-like form of the gray Italian marble base serves to elevate the top element to eye-level, bringing the sculpture to an intimate human scale. The high-polish, black Belgian marble top draws the viewer’s gaze along a one-point perspective inward to a set of square planes, each made through the use of negative space, and beyond into the void.
Harriet FeBland was born, educated, and trained in New York, attending Pratt Institute, New York University, American Artist School, Art Students League, and other schools. She also lived and studied for many years in England and France, and participated actively in European art circles. Upon her return to the United States in the 1960s, she opened studios in New York and Westchester. She was soon recognized as a pioneer constructivist artist after a major New York exhibition “Plastic in Art” at the Galerie International. She worked with unusual and innovative materials for the time, including plexiglass, acrylics, metals, and electricity. There have been 49 solo exhibitions of FeBland’s works, and numerous invitational exhibitions for her paintings, sculptures, drawings, and graphics. In 1962, she founded the Harriet FeBland Art Workshop, a school for advanced painters in Westchester and New York, where she served as the director until 1993. In addition to inclusion in numerous publications, and earning many fellowships and awards, her work has been collected by the Library of Congress, print collection, Washington, DC; Pepsico, NY; Cincinnati Art Museum, OH; State of Hawaii; and Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, NJ among many others.
Works by Harriet FeBland currently on view in the sculpture park:
Moon Song,1976
Belgian black marble, Italian marble
70" x 22" x 8"
Courtesy of
The Sculpture Foundation, Inc.
Gift of Nigel FeBland |
