Visual Arts - In memoriam

Frederick Hart had a grand vision for his art. He wanted it to “exist in the domain of the common man” and be an “enriching, ennobling and vital partner in the public pursuit of civilization.”

By those standards, Hart’s sculptures are smashing successes.

The artist, who died of lung cancer in 1999, is known mainly for his “Creation Sculptures” at the National Cathedral and “Three Soldiers” statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, both in Washington D.C. He has been described as America’s greatest representational artist.

Hart, who worked mainly in bronze, marble and clear acrylic, was tapped by the Cathedral in 1974 to craft “a contemporary idea of creation, a vision of an unfolding universe,” as the artist described it. He spent almost the next two decades at work on the project.

Trinity Gallery, longtime local representative for the Atlanta-born sculptor, is hosting a memorial retrospective of Hart’s work. The exhibition hinges on its connections to the “Creation Sculptures”; the 40 pieces on display include replicas of the Cathedral door, casts from Hart’s working model for Ex Nihilo and other fragments from the Cathedral works.

Transcendence and Renewal, a memorial retrospective of sculptor Frederick Hart, is on display through April 30 at Trinity Gallery, 315 E. Paces Ferry Road. 404-237-0092.??