Manuel Neri

Manuel John Neri Jr. (April 12, 1930 – October 18, 2021) was an American

Neri created figurative sculptures in plaster, marble, bronze, and clay, their surfaces often sanded, chipped, or painted as a means of directing the gestural thrust.[7] From the late 1970s on he also worked in marble and created numerous figures, torsos, and heads at his studio in Carrara.

He is also noted for his work a draftsman and a collaborator on artists' books. His books include three collaborations with poet Mary Julia Klimenko, and a series of unique books that combine his original drawings with poetry by

Neri's early works included paintings and mixed-media sculptures based on abstracted figurative or architectural forms.[9] He has received sculpture commissions from the Office of the State Architect, State of California, for the Bateson Building, Sacramento, California (1980-1982); U.S. General Services Administration for the U.S. Courthouse, Portland, Oregon (1987); Laumeier Sculpture Park, Sunset Hills, Missouri (1994); Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, for the Gerdin Building (2003); St. Anne's Church, Seattle, Washington (2003), and others. Neri's work is represented by Hackett Mill Gallery, San Francisco, California; Robischon Gallery, Denver, Colorado; and Yares Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Palm Springs California, and New York City, New York.

Selected collections

Museums holding works by Manuel Neri include the Addison Gallery/Phillips Academy; Anderson Collection at Stanford University;

Manuel Neri had several marriages; he was the second husband of painter Joan Brown from 1962 to 1966 (though their relationship and artistic collaboration dated back several years prior to that).^[13] He has seven children: Raoul, Laticia, Noel (his son by Joan Brown),^[14] Max, Ruby, Julia, and Gus.^[15] He died on October 18, 2021, in Sacramento, California, at the age of 91.^[1][16]

Footnotes