Designer: Carl Lewis Pappe (1900 – 1998)

Item: Bronze relief sculpture

Manufactured by: Carl Pappe

Country of origin: Probably Mexico

Year made: Late 1940s or early 50s

Materials: Bronze mounted to walnut base

Dimensions: Bronze relief is 5 ½” x 3 ½” x ½” and mount is 6 ¼” x 4”

Condition: Excellent

Description:  This is a terrific abstracted and cubist wall hanging bronze sculpture by well-listed American artist Carl Lewis Pappe who also lived in Mexico.  We believe this to be a unique casting.  Most of the bronze works by Pappe are three-dimensional tabletop works of animals or female busts.  We have only seen a few other abstracted wall-mounted bronzes by him.  Signed in the bronze lower right.

Born in Hungary in 1900, Pappe showed an early interest and talent in drawing. While in his early teens, he apprenticed with a Hungarian muralist working in Cleveland. From 1921 to 1925 he attended the Cleveland School of Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art).  From 1925 to 1926 he enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts where he studied under Hugh Breckenridge and Daniel Garber.

Pappe visited Mexico City in 1934 and lived there for four years and then moved to Taxco with his future wife the renowned Mexican jeweler and silversmith Bernice Goodspeed where they opened a gallery.  He lived much of the remainder of his life in Taxco.  Living in Mexico he became acquainted with and developed friendships with many important artists such as Frida Kahlo, Isamu Noguchi, Carlos Merida, Juan O'Gorman and Ruffino Tamayo and he apprenticed with muralist Jose Orozco.

Pappe's work has been shown in many museums and galleries internationally, and can be found in public and private collections such as the Dallas Art Museum and the U.S. Library of Congress.