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UMLAUF garden

1960 - 1969

Family

Family

1960, bronze This scale model is ⅓ the size of the 15’ version of Family that has become an icon at the UT Austin campus at the McCombs School of Business.

Mother & Child

Mother & Child

1960, bronze This Mother & Child epitomizes Umlauf’s classical mode. Her dress and pose recall the cast stone Poetess (1956). With support from Union Pacific, the UMLAUF conserved the sculpture before placing it on view.

Lotus

Lotus

1960, bronze Among the most popular sculptures in the Garden, Lotus (the Egyptian goddess of fertility) was modeled after a hippopotamus in the San Antonio Zoo. The San Antonio parents who commissioned it in stoneware soon requested enough bronze castings for each family member. It has since become one of the artist’s most popular sculptures.

Reclining Figure I

Reclining Figure I

1960, bronze Umlauf submitted two proposals for the 1959 Love Field competition: Spirit of Flight (the winning submission) and Four Seasons, represented in the guise of four muses. Although he never created the latter project, Reclining Figure I (Muse) is a study for the theme, suggesting that she may symbolize a season. Umlauf extends the fabric beneath the figure, creating a base made of drapery.

Torchbearers

Torchbearers

1961, bronze The Torchbearers display exaggerated muscles that emphasize speed and their athletic physiques. This is a one-third size model for the grand Torchbearers on the University of Texas at Austin campus. Another scale model can be seen at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, and the UMLAUF owns a plaster model of one figure.

Muse I

Muse I

1962, bronze The Greek muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, preside over arts and sciences. Stylistically, their poses and clothing are classically inspired, creating elegant, timeless, inspirational figures. In 1962, the University of Texas (UT) commissioned three large bronze sculptures from the esteemed Professor Charles Umlauf. After spending two months casting the Muses in Pietrasanta, Italy, Umlauf shipped the larger-than-life bronzes to Austin for their 1963 installation.

Muse II

Muse II

1962, bronze The second of the three Muses sits relaxed on a bench, looking upward.

Muse III

Muse III

1962, bronze The third of the three Muses, this sculpture reclines into empty space similarly to other reclining figures sculpted by Charles Umlauf.

Father and Son

Father and Son

1962, cast stone This sculpture and its companion, Mother and Child (1962) are monumental because they were made for the entrance of the Witte Museum, a San Antonio landmark, after Umlauf won the 1961 San Antonio Art League competition. Both are currently on loan from the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Mother and Child

Mother and Child

1962, cast stone When Umlauf made the 14’ molds for this and Father and Son (1962), they barely fit in his Austin studio. Redondo Concrete in San Antonio poured the castings. On loan from the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Muse II (head detail)

Muse II (head detail)

1963, bronze In 1962, Umlauf created three larger-than-life bronze inspirational figures —or Muses—for a major University of Texas commission. The next year year he cast the head of the second Muse as a discrete work. The thin bronze here makes it easier to imagine the hollow interior of the larger-than-life Muses.

Young Horse

Young Horse

1963, bronze Horses, in different poses and patinas, were a favorite subject for Umlauf. A stone horse resides at the top of the hill in the Umlaufs' private garden, and a stoneware horse by Umlauf is in the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Pietà

Pietà

1963, bronze One of two pietàs in the Garden, this composition closely upholds the tradition of the Virgin holding her deceased son. Umlauf originally made this in stoneware in 1958 and was able to cast it in bronze five years later. A golden bronze casting can be seen by the public at the University Catholic Center on the UT Austin campus.

Icarus

Icarus

1965, bronze In Greek mythology, Icarus and his father, Daedalus, were trapped in a labyrinth on the island of Crete. To escape, Daedalus made them both wings out of feathers and wax. Ignoring his father's warning not to fly too close to the sun, Icarus fell into the sea when his wings melted. The myth is often employed to symbolize the hubris of youth or the failed ambition of humankind.

Seated Bather

Seated Bather

1965, bronze This sculpture stands out for its size and the turquoise hue of its patina. To consider how scale affects one’s impression of sculpture, compare this to the smaller Seated Bather (1958) that is also in the Garden.

Reclining Nude

Reclining Nude

1965-66, bronze On loan from the Kohlhaas family, who was integral to establishing this Museum, this sculpture is a new guest in the Garden. Umlauf reinterprets his classic 1958 reclining nudes, concentrating here on a perfect single-point balance between the legs and torso.

Supplication

Supplication

1966, bronze Umlauf made a small clay study for this sculpture in 1950 during a Guggenheim Fellowship. Umlauf allows the figure’s gestures and posture to represent the abstract concept of “supplication.” He remained interested in the theme 15 years later when he had the funds to transform the original ceramic into the full-size bronze you see here.

Madonna & Child

Madonna & Child

1967, bronze This is an abstract or stylized interpretation of the iconic image of the Madonna and Child, the scale model for an 8-foot bronze placed at St. David’s Hospital in Austin. Originally cast in plaster, it remained in storage until the St. David’s “Pink Ladies” raised funds to cast the work. It was dedicated at in 1989.

Eagle

Eagle

1968, bronze Eagle is larger than the other Garden animals because it was commissioned for First Federal Savings & Loan’s Austin headquarters, where it stood at 10th & Brazos for 50 years. In 2017, the State of Texas placed it on loan to the UMLAUF. It is the only sculpture installed on a boulder (Texas sandstone).

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