Biography
"Martin Eichinger deploys his virtuosic, intuitive command of human anatomy in the service of timeless narratives. In the lineage of Donatello and the great sculptural dramatists of the Renaissance, he tells stories in bronze, which resonate with emotional and symbolic impact in our contemporary times. Eichinger is that rare figurative sculptor who transcends "realism" in pursuit of a more evocative "romanticism," depicting men and women as mythic archetypes who embody exalted states of human potential. These invigorating vignettes of aspiration, achievement, love, and beauty are the stuff of which dreams-and more importantly, lives-are made." -Richard Speer, biographer and art critic, ARTnews and Willamette Week Martin Eichinger's narrative, romantic sculptures distinguish more than 1,000 private and corporate collections around the world. For more than twenty years, this dynamic, visionary artist has produced limited-edition sculptures that engage the minds and hearts of collectors and resonate within our larger social and political culture. Grouped into themed series-Dream, Circus, Exotic Women, Goddess, Duet, Passage, Dance, and Mythic Man-the sculptures chronicle the eternal human pursuit of meaning, happiness, and growth. Working in his 6,000-square-foot studio, with its 16-foot-high-ceilings and specialized enlarging equipment, Eichinger creates dramatic bronzes that range in scale from intimate to monumental. Important large-scale, public, and commissioned works include Windlord, a 16-foot cast-bronze sculpture commissioned by the City of Lansing, Michigan; a high-relief plaque for the Christopher Columbus Quincentennial Celebration; a plaque and bust commemorating President Ronald Reagan; and Ski Trooper, a sculpture commissioned in honor of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Army's Tenth Mountain Division. The sculptor has won numerous awards and honors, including the C. Percival Dietsch Prize for Best Sculpture in the Round; a Kellogg Internship; and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1993, at the invitation of His Serene Highness, Prince Rainier III of Monaco, he exhibited his Circus series at the Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo. Eichinger (b.1949) earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Ferris State University and did post-graduate work in sculpture at Michigan State University, undertaking independent studies in classical sculpture throughout Europe. Today, as a master teacher, he is founder and faculty member of the Fire & Earth Art Center, a Portland, Oregon art school that stresses the imperative for meaning and emotional content in addition to formal aesthetic technique. Over the past two decades Eichinger has taught numerous workshops and mentored more than twenty apprentices, many of whom have gone on to rewarding artistic careers of their own. A professional member of the National Sculpture Society, he is also a founding member of the Pacific Northwest Sculpture Association. His work is represented by more than two-dozen fine art galleries throughout the United States. |