Overview
Robert Strawbridge Grosvenor (March 31, 1937 – September 3, 2025) was an American contemporary sculptor, installation artist and draftsman. He is known for his monumental room installations, which border between sculpture and architecture. Grosvenor is associated with minimalism.
Early life and education
Grosvenor was born March 31, 1937, in Manhattan, New York City. He studied at the in 1956; at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, Paris in 1957 and 1959; and at the University of Perugia in 1958. He was inspired by Lucio Fontana and Piero Manzoni who he had been warned against while studying. He returned to New York for military service in 1959 during which time he came into contact with Mark di Suvero who introduced him to other artists.
Work and career
Grosvenor was one of the 10 artists that founded the cooperative Park Place Gallery in New York City, open from 1963 to 1967. The other founders of the gallery included Mark di Suvero, Dean Fleming, Forrest Myers, Peter Forakis, Leo Valledor, Tamara Melcher, Tony Magar, and Edwin Ruda. One of his best known sculptures is Tapanga (1965), originally exhibited in the mid-1960's and later realized in a monumental version at the Storm King Art Center. His work has helped define minimalism and was included in the seminal group exhibitions, Primary Structures (Jewish Museum, 1966), and Minimal Art (Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, 1968). His choice to work with rugged materials and found objects following the 1960s distanced him from minimalism. Grosvenor seldom spoke of the meaning behind his work and rarely gave his works titles.
Art market
Grosvenor was represented by Paula Cooper Gallery since 1968, when the gallery opened. Grosvenor briefly left the gallery in 2023. Karma Gallery and Galerie Max Hetzler also showed his work.
Personal life
In 1960, Grosvenor married Verta Smart; they had a daughter and later divorced. In 1965, he married Jacqueline Gardner, with whom he had two children.
Recognition
* 2020 – Ezratti Family Prize for Sculpture award, ICA Miami, Miami, Florida *1972 – American Academy of Arts and Letters grant * 1970 – National Endowment for the Arts grant
Exhibitions
List of select exhibits by Grosvenor:
Solo exhibitions
* 2025, Robert Grosvenor, Fridericianum, Kassel, Germany * 2019–2021, Robert Grosvenor, ICA Miami, Miami, Florida
External links
* Oral history interview with Robert Grosvenor, 1972 Aug. 9, from the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution * *