Carole A. Feuerman, My Hyperrealist Life And Legacy, Edition 2

By Carole Feuerman

An Exclusive Look Into A Renowned Sculptor’s Life
The Carole Feuerman Story

When you talk about art, Carole Feuerman is a name that personifies it. She is one of her generation's best sculptors and has immense respect from all her peers and contributors alike. Those from her era know of her very well through her grand exhibitions, and it just so happens that she is a leading figure of inspiration for many upcoming sculptors of this era.
So, what makes her so great? Or even better, why is she one of the biggest names in the industry?
There are several reasons she is at such a prominent level of stardom. And just like many big-name celebrities, Carole has a very inspiring story of her own to earn the amount of praise and spotlight she gets everywhere she goes. Moreover, the world can now know all about her through her new book, For My Hyperrealist Life and Legacy.
Written by Carole herself, My Hyperrealist Life and Legacy is a two-edition book highlighting all the candidness that very few people know about. The first edition will talk about herself, how she got into making sculptures, her struggles to survive the odds through balance, perseverance, and independence to fulfill her true calling, and her life from there onwards. In comparison, the second edition will talk more about how she perfected her sculpturing and how it got her successful and recognized in some of the world's biggest art exhibitions while advising the newer generation on how they achieve success in any art form.
For My Hyperrealist Life and Legacy isn’t the first time Carole Feuerman has published a book. Besides writing her autobiography in For My Hyperrealist Life and Legacy, Carole has also written Carole A. Feuerman: 50 Years of Looking Good, Carole Feuerman: Swimmers, Carole A. Feuerman Sculpture, and Carole A. Feuerman: La Scultura Incontra la Realta.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carole Feuerman
• Release date: Nov 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798354304417

Carole Feuerman

Carole A. Feuerman (born 1945) is an American sculptor and author working in Hyperrealism. She is one of the three artists credited with starting the movement in the late 1970s. She is best known for her iconic figurative works of swimmers and dancers. She is the only artist to make life-like outdoor sculptures and the only woman to sculpt in this style. Her work has been included in exhibitions at the National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution; the State Hermitage Museum; the Venice Biennale; Galleria d’Arte Moderna; Palazzo Strozzi Palace and Palazzo Reale in Milan.Growing up in New York, Feuerman was deterred from being an artist. She attended Hofstra University, Temple University, and graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York City to begin her career as an illustrator. During the early 70’s she went by the artist’s name Carole Jean, illustrating for The New York Times and creating album covers for Alice Cooper and the Rolling Stones, to name a few.In 1981, Feuerman’s work was chosen for exhibition at the Heckscher Museum in New York. After this, she was invited to participate in the ‘Learning through the Arts Program’ at the Guggenheim Museum.Feuerman received the Charles D. Murphy Sculpture Award in 1981. In 1982 she received the Amelia Peabody Award for sculpture. In 2016, she received Best in Show Award for her sculpture ‘Mona Lisa’ by the Huan Tai Museum, and the sculpture was acquired for their permanent collection. Feuerman has also been awarded the Medici Prize by the City of Florence, First Prize at the Beijing Biennale, and the Austrian Biennale, and in 2008 she received First Prize in the Olympic Fine Art exhibition in Beijing. The piece was acquired by the Olympic Museum.She has taught, lectured, and given workshops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Solomon Guggenheim Museum. In 2011, she founded the Carole A. Feuerman Sculpture Foundation. Her artworks are owned by eighteen museums, as well as in the collections of the City of Peekskill, New York, the City of Sunnyvale California, President and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Dr. Henry Kissinger, the Mikhail Gorbachev Art Foundation, Mr. Steven A. Cohen, Alexandre Grendene Bartelle, and the Malcolm Forbes Magazine Collection.Feuerman’s public works have been displayed across the globe, including but not limited to: Central Park and SoHo, New York, l' Avenue George V in Paris, Harbor City in Hong Kong, Milan, Rome, Giardino della Marinaressa in Italy, New Bond Street, Canary Wharf in London, and Knokke Heist in Belgium. She lives in New York City, and is the wife of Ronald Cohen, and the mother of Lauren Leahy, Sari Gibson, and Craig Feuerman. She has four grandchildren: Hannah Leahy, Sam Leahy, Isla Feuerman, and Kai Feuerman.

Book preview

Carole A. Feuerman

My Hyperrealist Life And Legacy

By

Carole A. Feuerman

My Hyperrealist Life and Legacy

Second Edition

Copyright 2021

by Carole A. Feuerman

All rights stored in, or produced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to my husband, Ronald Cohen, and my three children, Lauren, Sari, and Craig. I also want to acknowledge the people that helped me get where I am today. John T. Spike, who always believed in me, edited my latest book, 50 Years of Looking Good, authored countless essays, and arranged important exhibitions. To the late Malcolm Forbes, who was my first collector. To the late Ann Jaffe, who was my first gallery, to François Chabanian of Bel-Air Fine Art, to my staff that I call the A-Team, and to my family and friends who have always supported me.

This book is also dedicated to those trying to follow their dreams, survive and achieve, and those who have beat the odds through hard work, perseverance, and independence.

Acknowledgments

Family

My grandparents, Max and Ann Ackerman and Samuel and Sarah Molbegat, and My parents, Milton, and Sue Ackerman. My children, Lauren Leahy, Sari Gibson, and Craig Feuerman. My grandchildren, Hannah Leahy, Sam Leahy, Isla Feuerman, Kai Feuerman.

Studio

David Brown, David Brian Burns II, Jiwoong Cheh, Maria Duran Sampedro, Robert Feinstein, Griffith Leek, Madelane Morales, Natasha Rodriguez, Ronald Roldan, Alvaro Corzo, Haotian Wang, Ricci Amitrano, Richie Nuzzolese, Kerry Wilson, Michael Wiernicki, Courtney Byron, Jiwoong Cheh, and Alvaro Corzo Viviescas.

Galleries

Aria Art Gallery, Bel-Air Fine Art, Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Chase Contemporary, Markowicz Fine Art, Gallery Biba, Madison Gallery, Art of The World, Gallery on Greene, Galerie Hübner + Hübner, Galerie Klose, Rarity Gallery, Gallery Bhak, Waterfall Gallery, and Zemack Gallery.

Patrons

Former President and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Dr Henry Kissinger, the Mikhail Gorbachev Art Foundation, the Malcolm Forbes Magazine Collection, and Maluma.

To My Publishers

Hudson Hills Press, The Artist Book Foundation, Moretti Press, and Scheidegger & Spiess.

Preface

I just returned to Venice for my solo show, My Stories. It is at the Chapel of the Church of the Pietà, also known as Vivaldi’s Church. This is where the great Maestro worked and composed. The exhibition is meant to summate my narrative, ranging from my childhood to my more recent encounters. Each sculpture was made to talk about a situation I faced and the emotions I experienced in my life. I’ve also placed two monumental new sculptures at InParadiso Gallery, in Giardini, opposite the entrance to the Venice Art Biennale. One is called Serenity, and the other is called Justice, both indicative of what the world needs now in this turbulence. Another sculpture, Survival of Serena with Red Tube, faces the Grand Canal, one of my bucket lists goals. 

The streets are crowded with tourists. They expect over a million visitors while the exhibition is going on.  I keep bumping into artists, collectors, and friends. We talk about what life is like now in their country and how things have changed. The biggest difference in Venice is that the water in the canal is clear once again, and if you look closely, you might even see a fish. Will it last? The Ukrainian and Russian Pavilions are empty for different reasons. History seems to repeat itself. It’s unbelievable how people easily forget and cancel a whole human story. The only way we must keep the memories alive is to convey them to the next generations with music, art, and books.  Therefore, I decided to share my own experiences. I wrote my autobiography, hoping to help others find their own inspiration after reading about my life and my work. After all, life is too short, so pursue what you love today because you never know what tomorrow will bring. 

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Preface

Chapter One - The Beginning

Chapter Two - My Childhood

Chapter Three - Motherhood, Art, and Heartaches

Chapter Four - Ties That Bind

Chapter Five - Introduction to The Art World

Chapter Six - Recollections of A Life Lived

Chapter Seven - Divorce

Chapter Eight - My Life & Art Through the Decades

Chapter Nine - Chronic Illness

Chapter Ten - Friends & Colleagues

Chapter Eleven - My Days

Chapter Twelve - Monographs

Chapter Thirteen - The Pandemic

Chapter Fourteen - The Vaccine

Chapter Fifteen - My Advice for Achieving Success

Chapter Sixteen - Conclusion and Moving On

About The Author

Chapter One - The Beginning

Looking back on the events of my life, as any autobiographer would, I am filled with certain feelings that can’t exactly be placed into words. I often imagine what my reaction would have been like the moment I opened my eyes for the first time. Had my wonder devoured me, or was I scared for what would come next? In many ways, being born is not so different from creating a sculpture. You should simply go where your heart takes you. If anything, that is the most important lesson I have learned from all my years as an artist, a mother, and a wife. If we are to experience any true joy in life, it must be done at the expense of realizing and following our heart’s innermost desires.

I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on an Air Force base. I was my parents’ first child – a breech birth -- and they named me Carole Jean Ackerman. Sometimes, I think about how tough it must have been for my parents when I came into this world.

Born on a full moon; luckily, there weren’t any complications when I was born. Everything went well, and I was born a healthy child.

Being an astrologer as well as an artist, it’s interesting to note that when I came into this world, the star Almach was in the sky. This star represents success in all Venusian occupations – artistic ability, popularity, fame, and fortune. Canopus, the pathfinder, was conjunct the exact degree of my moon, and Castor, the star representing one’s ability to write and create, was crossing the degree of my career.

So, you could say there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason, and my life is an excellent example.

Mom and Dad in 1945

Mom and Dad met each other in Brooklyn. There isn’t much I know about how and when because I never asked them. The only thing mom ever told me was that she had a boyfriend when she met my dad. She said she knew that my father was the one the very first time she met him. She left the other gentleman and married my father. They loved each other greatly. My mother was from an orthodox Jewish family that settled in Babylon, New York. They were immigrants and came to this country from Austria. My grandparents, Sarah, and Samuel Molbegat, were both educated. Together, they started the first pharmacy in Babylon, Long Island, called Moby Drugs. They had four children: Abner, Beverly, Rose, and my mother, Sue.

My grandparents, Sarah and Sam Molbegat

From the hospital, I was taken to what would become my first home in Brooklyn, New York, where we lived. By the time I turned two, my mom had a second child, my younger sister, Barbara. To us, however, we called her Patty. One of the earliest memories I have of Patty includes her bawling her eyes out. Even at such an early age, I was surprised to hear how loud she could cry. I didn’t think that babies could make so much noise.

Playing in the snow at home in Brooklyn, four years old

I suspect they never wanted girls from what I know about my parents. Lucky for them, two years later, they had a son. When Richard was born, they gave him all their love and affection. In those days, it was a cultural belief that sons were more likely to support their parents when they got older, and thus they would work or inherit the family business. On the other hand, having a daughter was thought of as a curse, which means that you might have to support her financially if she didn’t marry. My parents were also of that belief. They believed that men were more intelligent than women, that women shouldn’t work, and they should marry wealthy men who could take care of them. When my brother was growing up, my parents bought him everything he wanted and everything they thought he might wish to have. I remember when they not only bought a custom-made pool table for him but also gifted him a sports car when he was just barely old enough to drive.

It didn’t matter if it was an outrageous demand or an innocent wish. My brother would drive to school while I would walk, as my parents refused to acknowledge my desires. They also set him up in an airplane business, but it failed. After that, he worked in the family taxi business. They taught him about the business, and years later, they helped him get started in a taxi business of his own. My mother was trained in the same school of thought. I believe that she considered herself aristocracy from the gilded age. During her life, she thought that she had to be flirtatious with every man she met, like a waiter taking her order in a restaurant, or her doctor, telling them how handsome and smart they were.

Richard, Carole, and Patty on Easter Sunday, at our home in Hollis Hills, NY

I don’t have a lot of memories of when I lived in Brooklyn, as I only lived there until I was five years old. Our next destination was Hollis Hills, Queens. Having three children so close together in age turned out to be too much for my mother to handle. She needed some space, which meant at least one of us needed to go and live with members of our extended family. It was decided that the daughters were the burden and, therefore, they needed to spend time elsewhere. Patty spent a lot of time with Grandma Sara and Grandpa Sam in Florida, while I was sent to live weekends with my grandparents Max and Anna in Brooklyn. I had to live with them in summers and holidays at our country home in Liberty, New York.

Grandpa and grandma were immigrants from Poland and Russia. They had come to the United States to escape Hitler and his troops. Grandma Ann was born in 1891 and was one of the kindest people I have ever known.

Her father, Heschel Chaba, changed his name to Harry Haber once he moved to the US. Grandma’s mother was Zelda Chaba. They had three children, Milton, Toby, and Marilyn. Zelda, her mother, died when grandma was only four years old, leaving grandma and her two younger sisters without a mother. Grandma’s father remarried Fagr Chaya, known as Fanny, and they had five more kids. Grandma was constantly in touch with all of them, especially Sonny Stern.

Thanks to Sonny’s hiring of a Polish researcher, I have some information about those times. Based on what he informed me, Poland and Russia were almost interchangeable, which I think has to do with how often the border lines were changed. He got the ship manifest from the Ellis Island records, so we know that grandma came over with her father alone in 1913 when she was thirteen years old. Fanny taught her how to cook, and it was the first time she felt she had a mother.

My grandparents, Ann and Max Ackerman

Grandpa Max’s birthplace was Plaszow, Galicia, which was Poland and awfully close to where Auschwitz was to be built. It was also outside of Krakow. This is also where Schindler’s factory was located. Grandpa Max told us this story about the situation in Plaszow. He said that a group of Russian soldiers showed up at his place in Galicia, so his father took his sisters down to the river and covered them with mud. When the Russian soldiers came, he told the soldiers that the girls had a contagious disease to protect them from being raped.

The situation at that time grew increasingly dangerous for Jewish people, and eventually, grandpa, at the age of fourteen, had to take a ship to the US. When he arrived at Ellis Island, the authorities asked him when his birthday was, and he said July 4, 1913. He immediately knew that he was going to love America.

Grandma worked as a cleaning lady, and grandpa eventually got a job sewing knickers. He sewed faster than the other employees and was good at saving money. One day, he approached