Constantino Nivola - a New Exhibit Focuses on A Modern Sculptor in the Public Realm

A portion of a large, sculptural mural by Constantino Nivola—a site-specific work commissioned for the Boston Government Service Center. The full mural is about twice-as-wide as is shown in this photo (additional images can be seen further down in this article)—and one can get an idea of the overall scale of the mural from the officer seen at the bottom of this view. Photograph by Kelvin Dickinson © The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation

NIVOLA IN NEW YORK—aND BOSTON!

Constantino Nivola is soon to be the subject of a major exhibition opening in New York City. Nivola had a substantial impact in the cities where he worked—and it should be an exciting and aesthetically-fulfilling show. But if the name is not familiar to you, that’s a good reason to consider the changeability of fame and reputation among artists and architects (something with which Paul Rudolph also had personal experience!)

ART, FAME—AND eVER-CHANGING FORTUNE

An image of Fortuna and the “Rota Fortunae”—a 15th century illustration of the Wheel of Fortune. [Artists and architects will probably identify with the unfortunate characters tied to the wheel.] Photo by National Trust, Waddesdon Manor / Mike Fear, via Wikipedia.

The ancient Romans were right about the nature of Fortune—one’s ever-changing life path, with both its victories and retreats: the only certainties are that it is unpredictable; history can seem capricious (or even cruel); counting on gratitude is a sure route to disappointment; and merit is not always rewarded. Fortuna was their goddess of fortune and the personification of luck: she could be represented many ways, often with a spinning golden ball, or with a wheel (which could randomly move people’s fates upward or downward)—and we still use the phrase “wheel of fortune.”

We see these up-and-down flows of in the lives of creative people: there are so many artists and architects who achieved prominence and success, only to see that well-deserved fame fade in subsequent eras. [Indeed, the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation is sensitive to this issue, as Paul Rudolph himself is a prime example of this phenomenon—one that we’re working to reverse.]

RETURN OF A MASTER: NIVOLA

So it is always welcome to see a creative figure is “brought back”: when an artist or designer is re-recognized for their work and visionary contributions. Even better is when that creator was engaged in the public realm: making works (art or buildings or spaces or graphics or products) that are accessible to almost everyone.

Such a figure is CONSTANTINO NIVOLA (1911-1988), an artist born in Sardinia, who came to the US in 1939, and who had a multi-decade, productive career as a sculptor, muralist, and teacher.

Two examples of public works by Nivola: The above sculpture is sited outside of Stiles College (designed by Eero Saarinen.). Photo by FCikiw. Right: Figura Femminile (Madre) Marmo, at the Palazzo del Consiglio Regionale, Cagliari. Photo by Luca Sartoni.

One could say that Nivola has never been away: his sculptures are a part of our urban environment—and in New York City alone they were sited in all 5 boroughs. They have graced the walls, spaces, and exteriors of:

• at least 10 schools

• an apartment house

• a hospital

• a courthouse

• a playground

• and even a firehouse

Though some have been removed or altered over the years, enough remain in place that he’s still very much a part of the NYC experience. Here’s a screen shot from a March 2002 article in Metropolis magazine (one of a set about him in that issue) showing part of a map of New York City sites that have Constantino Nivola’s works:

Metropolis ran articles on the life and work of Constantino Nivola in their March 2002 issue. This screen shot (of the portion of the article) gives an idea of how his work is located all across New York City. [The use of the term “sandman” in the title is a reference to one of the techniques which Nivola often used in making sculpture: sand casting.]

NIVOLA AND PAUL RUDOLPH

Constantino Nivola also figures in the work of Paul Rudolph. In Boston, Rudolph was the lead designer for the Boston Government Service Center. The complex is now threatened, and the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation is working with Boston-based activists to preserve it.

Inside the building is a large, sculptural mural by Nivola, filled with images that are meaningful to the building’s origins and purpose. Modern artworks of this nature are rare in public buildings: ones that have both intrinsic artistic value, and are also strong in symbolism which is site-specific. It would be a cultural crime to allow anything to happen to this mural, and we are hoping that the government can be brought to see the value of preserving the artwork in its specific context.

Below are several photos of the Boston Government Service Center mural:

All mural photographs by Kelvin Dickinson © The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation

“NIVOLA IN NEW YORK | FIGURE IN FIELD”

We meant “return of a master” in a literal sense, for we are delighted to see that an exhibit about Nivola and New York City is about to open.

The exhibit is to take place at The Cooper Union in New York City, and will be open from Thursday, January 23, 2020 -to- Sunday, March 15, 2020— and full information on the exhibit can be found here.

Here are excerpts from Cooper’s announcement:

The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, the Costantino Nivola Foundation, and the Italian Cultural Institute of New York present Nivola in New York I Figure in Field, an exhibition of the work of Italian sculptor Costantino Nivola (1911-1988), known for his large-scale bas-reliefs, murals, and free-standing sculptural installations created in collaboration with architects.

… the exhibition is the first-ever to tell the story of Nivola’s built New York City projects through maquettes and sculptures, original drawings, site-specific photographs, and related ephemera. The exhibition also features a timeline outlining 62 projects that Nivola made in collaboration with architects over approximately 40 years. In addition to the exhibition, The Cooper Union will present a variety of related programming..., including a panel on the role of public art, as well as off-site educational workshops and tours of Nivola’s work throughout the city.

The gallery exhibition highlights four of these projects, starting with Nivola’s first public commission for the Olivetti showroom. Next is another of Nivola’s early New York projects, a 1953 sandcast bas-relief cartouche on the south façade of Coney Island’s William E. Grady High School. The third featured work is the Stephen Wise Recreation Area — a public plaza created in 1962 between two housing blocks on the Upper West Side that includes a fountain, a group of cast-concrete horse sculptures, a bas relief, and a sgraffito mural that define specific areas for play and relaxation. The final work on view is Nivola’s last sculptural commission completed in the United States: a series of bronze statuettes and plaques he created in 1984 at the 19th Precinct Combined Police and Fire Facilities on the Upper East Side to document police and fire activities.

This exhibition is co-curated by Steven Hillyer, Director, The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture Archive at The Cooper Union and Roger Broome, a Brooklyn-based architect and alumnus of the school, with scientific advice from Giuliana Altea and Antonella Camarda.

EXHIBIT INFORMATION

EXHIBIT TITLE: NIVOLA IN NEW YORK | FIGURE IN FIELD

PRESENTED BY: The Cooper Union’s Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture; the Costantino Nivola Foundation; and the Italian Cultural Institute of New York

LOCATION: The Cooper Union

ADDRESS: 7 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003

SPACE: Arthur A. Houghton Jr. Gallery, 2nd Floor

WEBSITE: www.cooper.edu/architecture/events-and-exhibitions/exhibitions/nivola-new-york-i-figure-field

DATES OF SHOW: Thursday, January 23, 2020 -to- Sunday, March 15, 2020 [Closed February 14 -to- 16]

HOURS: Tuesday – Friday 2pm-7pm; Saturday and Sunday 12pm-7pm

The Cooper Union’s Foundation Building—the site of the upcoming exhibition on Constantino Nivola. Photo by Ajay Suresh