Lyman Kipp
Lyman Emmet Kipp, Jr. was a sculptor and painter who created pieces that are composed of strong vertical and horizontal objects and were often painted in bold primary colors recalling arrangements by De Stijl Constructivists. Kipp is an important figure in the development of the Primary Structure style which came to prominence in the mid-1960s.
Kipp's early work in the 1950s focused on geometric, plaster reliefs and cast bronzes. He moved on to large, geometric, welded pieces composed of post and beam elements emphasizing the vertical during the 1960s. Finding it difficult to transport large, heavy, welded pieces, he turned to angled sections and sheets of steel and aluminum that could be bolted together on site. Typically the pieces were painted with bright colors and the thin edges were often defined with bright, complementary colors. In the late 1970s, Kipp's steel sheets began to move into the air on thin legs.
Kipp was a founding member of ConStruct, the artist-owned gallery that promoted and organized large-scale sculpture exhibitions throughout the United States. Other founding members include Mark di Suvero, Kenneth Snelson, John Raymond Henry and Charles Ginnever.
Kipp's health deteriorated and he died peacefully on March 30, 2014. His last known works were in 2011.
Education/Teaching/Grants
1950 - 1952 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY1952 - 1954 Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan
1960 - 1963 Bennington College, Vermont
1962 - 1963 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
1963 - 1968 Hunter College, NYC
1966 Dartmouth College, NH
1968 - 1975 Lehman College, NYC
1975 - 1978 Hunter College, NYC
1978 - 1985 Hunter College, NYC
1985 Hunter College, NYC
1966 Guggenheim Fellowship
1966 Fulbright Grant
1967 Summer Research Grant, City University of New York
1970 City University Faculty Research Grant
1975 City University Faculty Research Grant
1977 Art Park, Lewiston, NY
1980 Hand Hollow Foundation, New York
1982 Schuster Grant
Monumental sculptures and public works
United States
AlabamaCherokee, 1977, University of Alabama, HuntsvilleArizonaHudson Bay, 1968, Museum of Art, University of Arizona, Tucson
CaliforniaTrap II, 1965, University Art Museum, University of California, BerkeleyChickasaw, 1977, California State University, San BernardinoHighline, 1976, Federal Building & Post Office, Van Nuys
ColoradoAlto, 1984, Hoffman Heights Library, AuroraRed Wing, 1974, Aurora Corporate Plaza, Aurora
District of ColumbiaAlternate Design for Highline, 1975, Smithsonian American Art Museum, WashingtonSalamanca, 1969, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington
FloridaDollbaby, 1991, Pinewood Park, LargoLevenworth, 1978, Pinewood Park, LargoBlackjack, Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health, MiamiD, Greynolds Park, North Miami BeachTonawanda, 1977, Florida Coastal Professional Center, NaplesKenosha, 1984, von Liebig Art Center, NaplesUntitled, 1984, von Liebig Art Center, NaplesUntitled, 1984, von Liebig Art Center, NaplesE, 1979, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach
IndianaRange, 1974, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne
MassachusettsAuro, 1965, List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
MichiganNo. 1-1959, 1959, Museum of Art, University of Michigan, Ann ArborOshkosh, 1978, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand RapidsBullshoals, 1978, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand RapidsKobi, 1982, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand RapidsStudy for Zephyr, 1973, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand RapidsSalute to Knowledge, 1981, Grosse Pointe Public Library, Grosse Pointe FarmsMuscoot, 1979, Calvin College Campus, Grand RapidsLong Distance, 1979, Calvin College Campus, Grand Rapids
NebraskaUlysses, 1972, Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln
New HampshireBartar, 1968, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, HanoverMedian II, 1963, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover
New YorkWild Rice, 1967, The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection, west plaza, AlbanyDirectional I, 1962, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, BuffaloFlat Rate II, 1969, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, BuffaloTrianon, 1963, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYCLockport 1977, 1977, Storm King Art Center, MountainvilleUntitled, Storm King Art Center, MountainvillePlacid, 1978, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid
New JerseyYoakum Jack, 1977, William Paterson University, Wayne
PennsylvaniaMusic Box, 1956, Philadelphia Museum of Art, PhiladelphiaManly, 1980, Hartwood Acres Park, PittsburghWink, 1980, Penn State University, University Park
TennesseeDragon Fly, 1995, Sculpture Fields of Montague Park, ChattanoogaHugo, 1980, Sculpture Fields of Montague Park, Chattanooga
WisconsinBullfinch, 1968, Lynden Sculpture Garden, MilwaukeeLodgepole, 1968, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee