THE SPLASHY VENICE BIENNALE DEBUT FOR GREENWICH SCULPTOR STEVE SIMMONS

By George Wayne

A few weeks ago, the inquisitive arbiter took a road-trip studio visit to Greenwich, Connecticut, to see firsthand the highly emotive mass-metal sculptures by the increasingly sought-after artist Steve Simmons. And it could not be a more exciting time for the artist as he prepares to debut his signature grand scale inverted pyramidsculpture devoted to LOVE– at the ”Olympics of the art world” art fans know as theVenice Biennale.

After a notable corporate career in the corner suite running the family business, Simmons Communication, an early pioneer in cable and satellite distribution, “similar to Comcast,” he informs. The mid-career pivot from the corporate boardroom to art-world sensation-du-jour has now led to this auspicious moment and is a work of art tobe on full display before thousands, and for months on end, in the holy grail settingof St. Mark’s Square, Venice.

He greets us warmly after the 90-minute ride from Manhattan to see a preview of the maquettes for his next grand-scale work. A calm, considerate presence was his immediate aura as he ushered his art dealer, Georges Berges, and this writer into his ‘studio’, which was set up in a chic, modernist, floor-to-ceiling glass home. The room is filled with maquettes of past work and miniature versions of his acclaimed abstract and gargantuan works.

”My work first begins with months of conceptualisation with numerous sketches and moulding with clay,” he says, leading a quick guided tour of his space. ”I took art classes moulding with clay and working with sculptors of Silver Mine TKEvery one of these abstract sculptures has its own story. ” The process, his self-taught command begins with the thought, then a sketch, and then a maquette (a mock-up in cardboard or similar material of how the work will be moulded into his signature gargantuan sculptures). Then come the 3D renderings and the fiddling with all those aspects ”before I take it to the metal fabricator I deal with,” which, as one would expect, is the most legendary in the business, ”My goal with working with these metals is the goal to try to give them energy, George— I try to have this metal come alive with energy.”

Some of the more outstanding works are over 8 feet. In fact, his ode to the notion of love —a massive metalwork—is a 21st-century marvel that resonates with the emotional drama of the world’s most iconic sculpture of LOVE. We speak, of course, of that much-celebrated work from his more pedigreed peer, Robert Indiana. ”I love this marvellous revelatory work,” I tell him. The deft way these inverted triangles almost defy gravity. It’s the balance of the inverted pyramids here that intrigues me.”I call the narrative here…diamonds to the sky, is how I look at it.” The artist exclaims. The marvellous work is composed of alloy and steel with a polychromatic finish. It is mesmerising to say the very least.

Unveiling this major project during the 61st Venice Biennale has been the result of the Georges Berges Gallery’s determined effort, celebrating its 10th year as one of the most talked-about art houses on West Broadway. This seminal moment for the Connecticut sculptor is indeed a benchmark, especially for the West Broadway art gallery, celebrating 11 years in business. ”Venice has always existed between worlds–water and stone,” the art dealer theorises exuberantly. ”As my gallery marks its decade and more in business, this moment is not a culmination but an expansion of a belief we have carried from the beginning; that art is not meant to decorate life but awaken it.” And those who venture to Venice this Summer will certainly be in art whirl heaven.

GW– From mogul in the boardroom to next art whirl darling a la Richard Serra or Robert Indiana. This is how they will compare you to…
SS—Wow – that would be quite a comparison. Their work is iconic, and I can only aspire to one day have my work even mentioned with theirs.
GW–Your vast scale ode to LOVE. Please walk us through the process from concept to creation of this iconic work.
SS—I created “Universality of Love” during the pandemic. I got to thinking that, despite what is happening in the world, love is a universal feeling – felt and experienced in all cultures. I wanted to express this thought through a work. The structural direction was to place the expression of love on a pyramid and cover the 4 angled sides with words of love in 4 different languages. After thinking it over, I thought 8 languages would be more encompassing, so I could put one pyramid on top of another, allowing for 8 sides. To give it some energy, I would also twist the top pyramid.
GW —Talk us through your creative process from concept to maquette to the finished work. And clearly, biophilic and sustainable principles are not part of this line of thinking.
SS—I started with a model in which thin pieces of wood formed a pyramid. I then wrapped red paper around the wood. I did some research on fonts, found one I liked, then cut out the letters for LOVE and put them on the paper. This allowed me to determine where on the slanted side the words worked best. Having decided I wanted to have the word love in English, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, Swahili and Italian, I checked Google for the translations needed.. Unfortunately, for some of these languages, there were different ways to say “love”. So I then hired translators and set up Zoom calls with them. We discussed which letters would be best in each language. Having done that, I then was set and sent the model and words to the metal fabrication foundry. I also decided to have the letters stand out from the sculpture so each was cut out. And for languages other than English, like Mandarin, I added an English translation of the word. Choosingthe exact shade of red as well as the shade for the letters took some time.
GW — After the work leaves the Venice Biennale, maybe it ought to find a permanent home at the Obama Presidential Library. This work would be a perfect fit for the sculpture garden of the soon-to-open Obama Presidential Library.
SS–Well, not sure about that. They have lots of other work that would make sense and be more connected to the themes of the Obama presidency, I am sure.
GW- After all that, the President has been a fan of your work for years. SS—He does have one of my whale sculptures behind his desk and likes it.
GW–You were raised with business-minded yet artistic parents. Your father —it is said — manufactured the paintbrushes used by Andrew Wyeth and Norman Rockwell. Regale us with that story…Both your parents were painters in their own right.
SS—Yes- both my Mom and Dad were very talented painters. My Dad worked in oils, and my Mom worked with acrylics, pastels, and various collage materials. My Dad decided to start an artist materials company, and the Robert Simmons brush and his white sable product were recognised as some of the best – if not the best – in the country. And yes – Wyeth and Rockwell used his brushes. I think that if I am in a museum or otherwise see one of their works, my Dad, in an indirect way, helped these artists.
GW– Talk about your personal eye and what art you collect personally?
SS—I am always looking at the world around me – trying to be present, as they say. Ideas will come to me – almost like spontaneous combustion – and I will have an ah-ha moment and think what great idea for a sculpture. I will then begin sketching it. On my animal work it usually comes from experiences I have had – so we have an osprey nest in Martha’s Vineyard at our property and I watch the osprey being fish they have caught every day to their nest. Hence, the work Osprey Catch of an osprey with a fish in his talons, or, for that matter, Osprey Catch – and an abstract wall sculpture of 200+ osprey circling a pond with fish. My collected art is really my parents’ paintings – they hang in my home, office and studio.
GW– If there is an unconventional approach to your craft, what would that be?
SS—The one thing I would say is I try to inject energy into the work I do. For example, the large and small Circle Red steel sculptures I made look like interesting circles of different shapes from the front. As one walks around it, the circles are seen from different angles, and one can perceive the energy emanating from them as they tilt, turn, and vary in width and direction. In the sunlight, the 8 coats of special paint I used make it shimmer as well. Or one can see actual energy in As The Wind Blows, a steel sculpture I made, where 5 sculpted pinwheels turn at different speeds in the wind.
GW– The name of the famous metal foundry you work with to create your huge metal works…
SS—For my abstract metal fabrication, I work with Art Enterprises in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and for my clay turned into bronze work with Modern Art Foundry in Queens.
GW — Please talk to us about the new maquettes for The Sunflower Project and share the plans for that debut. When will we see the next grand-scale production?
SS–The idea for Kiss of the Sun came from the acres of tall sunflowers that are on a farm by our home in Martha’s Vineyard. I loved their beauty, individuality, and the energy of how they grow – reaching for the sun. I did a maquette – using a laser to cut out of paper about 10 different sunflower shapes and then colored each one. These were then pasted onto a toothpick, and I stuck them into Styrofoam at different heights and in a pattern I liked. I then had the sunflowers laser-cut out of steel, metal stems soldered on, and hand-painted over 300 of them. I then put them in holes in wood in a pattern similar to the maquette. I think it came out really well. It will first be displayed at the Venice Biennale and then in a solo show at the Berges Gallery in June. As to other projects, believe it or not, I now have 6 more sculptures in various stages of production, and solid ideas for another 8.
GW–The 61st Venice Biennale moment is a coup de theatre for Steve Simmons and the Georges Berges Gallery. Well done!
SS—Thanks! I am very excited.
GW– This must be the most spectacular feeling of fulfilment!
SS—It is indeed. First to come up with an idea for a sculpture and see it go from concept to an actual creation right in front of you is so fulfilling. But then to have one of those creations stand in the city of Venice for tens of thousands of people to see is unbelievable. And to have 15 of my sculptures on display in the Palazzo Bembo overlooking the Grand Canal, where thousands will see more of my work, feels terrific.