Internationally-acclaimed artist Richard Erdman makes the impossible occur on a routine basis. From the seemingly grounded to the truly ethereal, his sculptures express a vitality which transcends their temporality.  The inspirations for his creations are multi-faceted and varied.  They do, however, have a common thread evolving from the artist’s own reverence for nature, which was crystallized during his childhood in Vermont.  The local mountains, forests and stone quarries were his playground.  In the summer, he would explore these mountains like a treasure trove and in the winter he skied.  Erdman’s passion for skiing developed into such expertise that he was twice All-American Champion.

After graduating from the University of Vermont, he traveled to Italy, first to Florence and later to Carrara, which is the world’s finest source of stone.  Following an apprenticeship with master stonecutters, he established a studio in Carrara and embarked on a lifelong quest to expose the hidden wonders of each new creation.  Whether working in stone, bronze or steel, Erdman’s creative process is a veritable conversation with the medium, suggesting form and essence while listening to and feeling the response.

The mastery and spirit which the artist’s work exudes, has created an enormous international following.  Richard Erdman’s sculptures can be found in museums, corporate and private collections throughout the world.

The artist has had more than 100 solo and group exhibitions throughout North America and abroad.  He has been commissioned to create distinctive pieces for patrons including The PepsiCo Sculpture Gardens in New York, the Four Seasons Park in Singapore, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, and Princeton University.  His work is part of extensive private collections in 32 countries worldwide.

In 1985, PepsiCo commissioned Erdman to create the monumental sculpture Passage, which stands like a sentinel at the entrance of the esteemed PepsiCo Sculpture Gardens, considered to be the finest collection of major 20^th century outdoor sculpture.  The twenty-five foot long, sixteen-foot high Passage is the largest sculpture in the world carved from a single piece of marble.  Carved from a massive 250-ton block of travertine, Passage wondrously embodies lightness, fluidity and grace, epitomizing Erdman’s ingenious ability to create the chimerical from the prosaic.

Richard Erdman maintains studios both at his home in Vermont and in Carrara, Italy, where he travels frequently.  On their rolling and pastoral country estate, the artists and his wife share their lives while practicing their respective professions.  The artist works in an expansive, renovated 19^th century barn, while his wife Madeleine operates her celebrated 87-acre equestrian center.

It is in this resplendent setting of nature’s purity and ever-changing seasons that Richard Erdman draws his strength, vision and purpose, transforming them into timeless variations of stone and bronze which grace us all.

COLLECTIONS:

NOTABLE

Prime Minister Tony Blair, United Kingdom

Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Germany

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Canada

President Vojisilav Kostunica, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Prime Minister Josef Tosovsky, Czech Republic

Dr. Javier Solana, Secretary General of the European Union

Finance Minister Alexei Leonidovich Kudrin, Russia

Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, Sweden

Foreign Minister Ismail Cem, Republic of Turkey

Foreign Minister George Papandreau, Greece

Senator Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey

PUBLIC

Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield CT

Allentown Art Museum, Allentown PA

Carpathian Foundation, Flint, MI

Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens at PepsiCo, Purchase NY

East West Institute, New York, Prague, Moscow, Brussels

Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore

Herbert Johnson Museum, Cornell University, Ithaca NY

JP Morgan Chase, New York, NY

John. E. Fetzer Foundation, Kalamazoo, MA

King Faisal Foundation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Lumiere Place, St. Louis, MO

MGM Grand, Detroit MI

Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN

Norton Museum of Art, Palm Beach, FL

Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, NJ

Robert Hull Fleming Museum, Burlington, VT

Rockefeller Collection, New York, NY

Sasak Peace Foundation, Tokyo, Japan

Seven Bridges Foundation, Greenwich, CT

Shelby Cullom Davis Foundation, Bethesda, MD

Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester VT

Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Israel

The Menninger Foundation, Topeka, KS

United Nations, New York, NY

United States Olympic Foundation, Stowe, VT

University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

University of Vermont, Burlington, VT

Weintraub Sculpture Garden, Tel Aviv, Israel

CORPORATE

Air Products & Chemicals Inc. Allentown, PA

AKZO Nobel Inc, Arnhem, The Netherlands

AAltera Coporation, San Hose, CA

American International Group, San Hose, CA

ANR Pipeline Corporation, Detroit, MU

Andrew Corporation, Orland Park, IL

B.A.T. Industries PLC, London England

Bechtel Corporation, Detroit, MI

Bertholon Rowland Corporation, Detroit, MI

Canadian Corporation, Minneapolis, MN

Centon Electronics, Inc., Irvine, CA

Conrad International Centennial Hotel, Singapore

Credit Suisse First Boston, New York, NY

Deutsche Bank, New York, NY

Dolly Fiterrman Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN

Dynamic Gunver Technologies, Manchester, CT

EcoLean International A/S, Sweeden

Enrich Oil Corporation, Abliene, TX

Enterprise Corporate, Shelton, CT

Ecans Corporation, Chicago, IL

Galveston-Houston Corporation, Houston, TX

Goldman, Sachs & Company, New York, NY

Green Moutain Valley School, Waitsfield, VT

Halkin Hotel, London, England

Hilton International, Singapore

Humana Corporation, Louisville, KY

IBM Corporations, Essex Jct, VT

Lhilani Resort International, Ohahu, HI

International Silver Corporation, Meriden, CT 

Johnson & Johnson Corporation, New Brunswick, NJ

Key Investment Company, Minneapolis, MN

Linclay Corporation, Cincinnati, OH

Lindenmaier Praizisou A. G. Laupheim Germany

Maeda Enviromental Art Co. Tokyo, Japan

Maz Weishaupt GmbH, Shwendi, Germany

Mediterranean Cruise Lines, Naples, FL

MBNA Bank America, Wilmington DE

North American Cerutti Corp. Pittsburgh, PA

Ortho Pharmeceutical Corporation, Raritan, NJ

Orsborn Center, Rye NY

Pardee Rsources Company, Philadelphia, PA

PKV Racing, Indianapolis, IL

Rossignol Ski Coporation, Willston, VT

Roew-Smith Oil Corporation

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Oslo, Norway

S.G.F. Scultura, Carrara, Italy

Shangri-La Hotel, Beijing, China

Silverstein Properties, New York, NY

Society Generale, Singapore

Stratton Educational Foundations, Stratton Mt. VT

Westwood Energy Corporation, Albilene, TX

Woodside Hotels and Resorts, Menlo Park, CA

World Carpets Inc., Dalton, GA