FREDERICK EVERSLEY (B. 1941) Untitled 1992-1994 cast polyester resin 19 1/4 by 19 1/4 by 4 1/4 in. 48.9 by 48.9 by 10.8 cm. This work was executed in 1992-1994.
Fred Eversley (American, b. 1941) Untitled (parabolic lens), 1976 cast polyester 19 1/2 x 19 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches. Provenance: Acquired directly from the Artist by a Private Collector Lot Essay: The Art and Science of Fred Eversley Situated at the intersection of art and technology, the parabolic sculptures of Fred Eversley (American, b. 1941), particularly the one offered here, act as an otherworldly experience to the viewer, emphasizing emotional connection to the artwork through the concentration of energy and movement. Raised in New York and originally trained as an engineer, Eversley moved to California to work on a variety of projects, including as a senior project manager in the building of test laboratories for NASA in the 1960s. In the late 60s, Eversley began to dabble in art in convalescence following an accident; after being long-surrounded by artists in his Venice Beach neighborhood, he then decided to commit himself to art full-time. [i] His rise was meteoric: he had several landmark exhibitions in 1970 (including a solo show at the Whitney and subsequent inclusion in the 1973 Whitney Biennial), became the first artist-in-residence at the National Air and Space Museum in 1977, and has been included in a myriad of exhibitions since, including participation in the 2017-2020 Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power and upcoming shows at David Kordansky Gallery and the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College. Though leaving his official engineering career behind, Eversley actively uses this training to make his characteristic sculptures, and scientific principles underline his process. Using a lathe, Eversley spins heated polyester resin across an axis to create a parabola from the plastic, which is then heavily polished. Each sculpture can take about two weeks to create, assuming all goes well. [ii] The result is a circular sculpture inverted on stands, with the parabola creating a front which is concave and verso convex, made up of different bands of heavily luminous color. In Untitled (parabolic lens), 1976 that Hindman is pleased to offer, the viewer is greeted with a miniature sun: white center, fading to yellow, and then orange, edged in black. So highly buffed that it rejects the idea of human construction, the work emphasizes the sublime. This effect is highlighted by the colors, which are so intense that they are difficult to view all at once, denying complete entry into the artwork so that the viewer is drawn to dance around the sculpture€”to move in closer, to shuffle back to reframe, to circle the sculpture in the round. The concave recto inverts the reflection so that the viewer sees themself reflected back, upside down. This ability to be in communication with its surroundings€”catching and rebounding changing reflections depending on time of day, the space in which its placed, and the viewer€” allows the work to always be in flux. So important to Eversley is this element of personal connection to each work that he rarely provides titles so as not to color viewer's perceptions. [iii] This is also why he believes that his sculptures so rarely come to market, as his work needs to be lived with to fully appreciate their ever-shifting intricacies over months and years. [iv]This offered sculpture showcases a triumph of artistic and scientific achievement through the shrinking of a solar system€”a heliocentric world in miniature that is, in itself, self-contained but nonetheless invites the participation of the world around it in order to be truly complete. Taking part in progressive movements throughout his life, including the Civil Rights Movement, Eversley is most preoccupied by the energy crisis and society's relationship with energy, with which he engages directly with his art. Eversley's understanding of energy as the ultimate underpinning of his work€”and the source connecting all humans and systems together€”is clear. He states that: "The original and ultimate source of all energy on earth is the sun. The extensive utilization of solar energy seems the most likely long-range solution to the energy crisis. My early sculptures were directly influenced by the concept of this solar energy source, but were representative of the broader sense of energy as both a physical and metaphysical concept." [v] This pursuit of the concentration of energy would be impossible in Eversley's oeuvre without the parabola. A metric of scientific achievement and space exploration in its common use of telescopic reflectors, the parabola is known as the only shape capable of concentrating all energy to a single focal point. As said by Eversley: "it's because of the concentration of energy. [A parabola] creates a very unique form with very specific optical properties and acoustical properties and, if there are metaphysical energies, it's only reasonable to assume that they follow the same laws of optics as all known forms of energy do." [vi] This unique application of scientific principles in pursuit of a particularly humanistic connection sets Eversley's sculptures apart. Untitled (parabolic lens), 1976 draws in the viewer to its microcosmic exploration of energy: ever changing, endlessly fascinating, and limitless it its potential. Bibliography:Eversley, Fred. "Energy." Accessed August 9th, 2022. http://fredeversley.com/about/energy. "The Object and You: Fred Eversley in Conversation with Jenny Dally." College Art Association, February 25, 2021. http://artjournal.collegeart.org/?p=15206. [i] "The Object and You: Fred Eversley in Conversation with Jenny Dally," College Art Association, February 25, 2021, http://artjournal.collegeart.org/?p=15206. [ii] Ibid. [iii] Ibid. [iv] Ibid. [v] Fred Eversley, "Energy," accessed August 9th, 2022, http://fredeversley.com/about/energy. [vi] Ibid.
FREDERICK EVERSLEY (B. 1941) Untitled, 1970 cast polyester resin 20 x 20 x 7 in. 50.8 x 50.8 x 17.8 cm. For further information on this lot please visit the Bonhams website
Vintage 1985 "Bacardi Art Gallery 20th Anniversary Season 1983-84 Frederick Eversley" poster. Features image of art glass sculpture. Signed by artist lower right. Housed in black frame. Work Size: 21 x 14 in. SHIPPING Hill Auction Gallery will not ship. Gallery will refer a local shipper for international buyers. Purchaser pick up available upon request. Got something to sell? Contact us at HillAuctionGallery.com.
FREDERICK EVERSLEY (1941- ) Untitled. Cast polyester, 1969. Approximately 190x38 mm; 7 1/2 inches (diameter) x1 1/2 inches (deep). Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, private collection, Virginia; thence by descent, private collection, Virginia. This captivating sculpture is a small but wonderful, early work by sculptor Fred Eversley. This translucent open disk in cast polyester with aqua and pink tones was made in the first years of what would become his trailblazing body of work in casting polyester. Eversley's innovative work made him a key figure in the developing art scene of postwar Los Angeles in the late 1960 and 70s. Fred Eversley's beautiful sculptures are made from cast polyester resin, plastic and other synthetic materials - a pioneering practice which he developed based on his experiences and training as an engineer. From 1963 until 1967, Eversley was a senior project engineer at Wyle Laboratories, where he was responsible for supervising the design and construction of high-intensity acoustic and vibration test laboratories at NASA facilities. He attended Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, and then the University of Pennsylvania School of Bio-Medical Engineering. where he obtained his PhD. in 1963. Eversley moved to Venice, California, in 1964 where he became friends with several Los Angeles artists. After a car accident, he retired from engineering in 1967, and become a full-time artist. Eversley's first solo exhibition was held at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1970, and he became the first artist-in-residence at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in 1977. Eversley has been the subject of recent solo exhibitions at the Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA in 2017 and Art + Practice, Los Angeles in 2016. His work is now in the permanent collections of dozens of museums; including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Yale University Art Gallery, the Museum of Modern Art and Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
FRED EVERSLEY (American b. 1941-) Acrylic Disc Cast Polyester Unsigned Diameter 36 inches (91.5 cm) Commentary: California based artist Fred Eversley’s (B. 1941- ) extraordinary career as a sculptor has spanned over five decades. The engineer turned sculptor is a master of precision and optics, and is considered a key component in the genesis of the loosely affiliated West Coast “Light and Space” art movement. Eversley’s luminous parabolic lens sculptures are perhaps his most recognizable works, enticing the viewer with both optical illusion and reflection of their own image. Jackson’s is proud to present this remarkable example, which (at 3 feet in diameter) is the largest of Eversley’s lenses to have ever been offered at auction. Provenance: Acquired by the present owner directly from Lonny Gans and Associates, Marina Del Rey, California, and accompanied with a copy of original receipt of purchase dated February 6, 1992. SHIPPING NOTICE: Jackson's is your sole and only source for one stop packing and shipping. With over 50 years of experience, our professional, affordable and efficient in-house shipping department will be happy to provide you a fair and reasonable shipping quote on this lot. Simply email us before the auction for a quick quote: shipping@jacksonsauction.com or call 1-800-665-6743. Jackson's can expertly pack and ship to meet any of your needs. To ensure quality control Jackson's DOES NOT release to third party shippers.
