This large-format scrapbook, compiling Wendell Castle's press clippings, invitations and ephemera, records both his acclaim and neglect during the golden years of the studio movement
Wendell Castle (1932-2018) is regarded as the father of the American studio movement. His innovative work in stack-laminated wood and gel-coated fiberglass from the '60s and '70s is coveted by museums and collectors all over the world. In 1959, Castle's wife, the artist Nancy Jurs, started collecting press clippings, photographs, invitations and personal notes on Castle's work, eventually assembling them into an oversized scrapbook. This scrapbook, reproduced here in exact facsimile, proves that the work created by Castle during these decades had a more lasting impression on his field than he fully recognized--while also allowing us to better comprehend the challenges he faced for not following the herd.
These documents demonstrate how Castle almost singlehandedly led the charge to create sculpture within the category of furniture, offering us a deeper understanding of his time and the circumstances surrounding his work.