Lyman Kipp

Lyman Kipp
Lyman Emmet Kipp, Jr. (December 24, 1929 – March 30, 2014) 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 (see No. 1 - 1959 or Directional I). He moved on to large, geometric, welded pieces composed of post and beam elements emphasizing the vertical during the 1960s (see Andy's Cart Blanche, Muscoot or Hudson Bay). 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 (see Long Distance, Chicksaw or Kobi). In the late 1970s, Kipp's steel sheets began to move into the air on thin legs (see Lockport 1977, Salute to Knowledge or Yoakum Jack).
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, NY
1952 - 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 (Visiting Artist)
1968 - 1975 Lehman College, NYC (Chairman - 1968 - 1974)
1975 - 1978 Hunter College, NYC (Chairman)
1978 - 1985 Hunter College, NYC
1985 Hunter College, NYC (Professor Emeritus)
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
Alabama
Cherokee, 1977, University of Alabama, Huntsville
Arizona
Hudson Bay, 1968, Museum of Art, University of Arizona, Tucson
California
Trap II, 1965, University Art Museum, University of California, Berkeley
Chickasaw, 1977, California State University, San Bernardino
Highline, 1976, Federal Building & Post Office, Van Nuys
Colorado
Alto, 1984, Hoffman Heights Library, Aurora
Red Wing, 1974, Aurora Corporate Plaza, Aurora
District of Columbia
Alternate Design for Highline, 1975, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington
Salamanca, 1969, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington
Florida
Dollbaby, 1991, Pinewood Park, Largo
Levenworth, 1978, Pinewood Park, Largo
Blackjack, Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health, Miami
D, Greynolds Park, North Miami Beach
Tonawanda, 1977, Florida Coastal Professional Center, Naples
Kenosha, 1984, von Liebig Art Center, Naples
Untitled (blue/red), 1984, von Liebig Art Center, Naples
Untitled (black/red), 1984, von Liebig Art Center, Naples
E, 1979, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach
Indiana
Range, 1974, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne
Massachusetts
Auro, 1965, List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Michigan
No. 1-1959, 1959, Museum of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Oshkosh, 1978, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids
Bullshoals, 1978, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids
Kobi, 1982, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids
Study for Zephyr, 1973, Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids
Salute to Knowledge, 1981, Grosse Pointe Public Library, Grosse Pointe Farms
Muscoot, 1979, Calvin College Campus, Grand Rapids
Long Distance, 1979, Calvin College Campus, Grand Rapids
Nebraska
Ulysses, 1972, Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery and Sculpture Garden, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
New Hampshire
Bartar, 1968, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover
Median II, 1963, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover
New York
Wild Rice, 1967, The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection, west plaza, Albany
Directional I, 1962, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo
Flat Rate II, 1969, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo
Trianon, 1963, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC
Lockport 1977, 1977, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Untitled, Storm King Art Center, Mountainville
Placid, 1978, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid
New Jersey
Yoakum Jack, 1977, William Paterson University, Wayne
Pennsylvania
Music Box, 1956, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
Manly, 1980, Hartwood Acres Park, Pittsburgh
Wink, 1980, Penn State University, University Park
Tennessee
Dragon Fly, 1995, Sculpture Fields of Montague Park, Chattanooga
Hugo, 1980, Sculpture Fields of Montague Park, Chattanooga
Wisconsin
Bullfinch, 1968, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee
Lodgepole, 1968, Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee
References
Janovy, Karen O., Siedell, Daniel A., Sculpture from the Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery (University of Nebraska Press, 2006)
Sculpture Off the Pedestal (Grand Rapids Art Museum, 1973) Library of Congress: 73-88657
Construct (Fine Arts Museum of Long Island, 1979)
Kipp Website
1929 births
2014 deaths
Cranbrook Academy of Art faculty
Hunter College faculty
Lehman College faculty
People from Dobbs Ferry, New York
Sculptors from New York (state)
Pratt Institute alumni
Pratt Institute faculty
Bennington College faculty
Dartmouth College faculty