For more than 40 years, Ursula von Rydingsvard has developed surprising biomorphic constructions, often on a monumental scale. Placed in nature, these works appear like natural concretions formed by erosion or sedimentation, sentient and rivalling with the surrounding trees and foliage, as we have seen in Chaumont-sur-Loire. They are also remarkably at home in an urban setting, as seen with the presentation of her sculptures in 2015 at the Giardino della Marinessa in Venice.
The artist mostly works with cedar wood, with its unique fragrance and strong weather-resistance; she carves into it in a compulsive manner and covers it with graphite. The exhibition will also present two bronzes cast from wooden moulds. In addition, some works on paper will be shown. Ursula von Rydingsvard was born in 1942 in Deensen, in Nazi Germany, to a Polish mother and a Ukrainian father, both of whom were farmers. They lived through the occupation of Poland and the traumas of the Second World War. Her family then emigrated to the United States and settled in Plainville, Connecticut. Ursula von Rydingsvard holds degrees from the University of Miami, 1965 and the University of Columbia in 1975.
Her work can be seen in the Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire, at the Storm King Art Center and the Bloomberg Building in New York, at the Nelson-Atkins, Kansas City, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and in the gardens of the Museum of Philadelphia. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, in Great Britain, presented a retrospective of the artist in 2014. Her work can be found in around 30 museums worldwide.
