1. Over four decades, beginning in the early 1970s, Manuel Neri worked primarily with the same model, Mary Julia Klimenko, creating drawings and sculptures that merge contemporary concerns with Modernist sculptural forms.
17 Facts About Manuel Neri
1. 2.
Manuel Neri began attending college at San Francisco City College in 1950, initially studying to be an electrical engineer.
3.
Manuel Neri enrolled at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, and at California School of Fine Arts.
4.
Manuel Neri studied under Richard Diebenkorn, Elmer Bischoff, and Frank Lobdell, among others.
5.
Manuel Neri began to create life-sized figurative sculptures in plaster and mixed media, their surfaces often painted to accentuate the forms and gestures.
6.
In 1959, Manuel Neri was an original member of Bruce Conner's Rat Bastard Protective Association.
7.
Manuel Neri was married to Bay Area artist Joan Brown from 1962 to 1966, though their relationship and artistic collaboration dated back several years prior to this.
8.
Manuel Neri was a member of the art department faculty at the University of California, Davis from 1965 to 1990.
9.
In 2006, Manuel Neri was a recipient of the International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement Award in Contemporary Sculpture.
10.
Manuel Neri received Honorary Doctorates from the San Francisco Art Institute, California College of Arts and Crafts, and The Corcoran School of Art, Washington, DC.
11.
Manuel Neri created figurative sculptures in plaster, marble, bronze, and clay, their surfaces often sanded, chipped, or painted as a means of directing the gestural thrust.
12.
Manuel Neri is noted for his work a draftsman and a collaborator on artists' books.
13.
Manuel Neri has received sculpture commissions from the Office of the State Architect, State of California, for the Bateson Building, Sacramento, California ; US General Services Administration for the US Courthouse, Portland, Oregon ; Laumeier Sculpture Park, Sunset Hills, Missouri ; Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, for the Gerdin Building ; St Anne's Church, Seattle, Washington, and others.
14.
Manuel Neri's work is represented by Hackett Mill Gallery, San Francisco, California; Robischon Gallery, Denver, Colorado; and Yares Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Palm Springs California, and New York City, New York.
15.
Manuel Neri had several marriages; he was the second husband of painter Joan Brown from 1962 to 1966.
16.
Manuel Neri has seven children: Raoul, Laticia, Noel, Max, Ruby, Julia, and Gus.
17.
Manuel Neri died on October 18,2021, in Sacramento, California, at the age of 91.