Cosmo Campoli
Encyclopedia
Cosmo Campoli was a Chicago
sculptor, specializing in strong, surreal bird and egg imagery. He was hampered in later years by bipolar disorder
.
in New York
, among other notable artists as Karel Appel
, Leon Golub
, and Alberto Giacometti
.
However, at this time he also became "confused", as he put it, and his bipolar disorder
manifested. Unable to keep up a steady pace of work, he nevertheless taught sculpture at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology
and exhibited with the Chicago Imagists
at the Hyde Park Art Center
.
Campoli was given a major career retrospective at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art
in 1971.
He was popular in his home neighborhood of Hyde Park
, even having a dish, "Pasta Campoli" named after him at a local Thai restaurant. His bronze sculpture, "Bird of Peace", can be seen near the Murray School in Nichols Park in Hyde Park.
farm near the Illinois
border and was from an early age what would later be called an "action" sculptor, literally infusing energy and life into each piece, mainly in clay
at an early age. After art schooling he taught at the Institute of Design at ITT Illinois Institute of Technology where he influenced many subsequent artists. His interest was in organic, nurturing, rounded "yen" forms, particularly portraying the spirit of birds, other animals, eggs largely in bronze, clay or stone, or else multi-material objects such as abstracted birdbaths. Most of his extant works are in private collections. His work was at the Alan Frumkin Galleries, though. Although there was some recognition of his work in retrospective survey at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, Cosmo is one of a great many superior modern artists who have fallen between the art-critical cracks and been largely forgotten.
A. Beardsley said this about Campoli "Cosmo was always the teacher despite how young you were. When I was a child in the late 1970's I would go to Cosmo's house and he would give me glitter,glue,paint,and other interesting objects to adorn his front yard. As a child I felt it was a magical place, and his involvement in my life lead me to the arts. He was always the teacher!"
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
sculptor, specializing in strong, surreal bird and egg imagery. He was hampered in later years by bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
.
Exhibits and Career
Cosmo Campoli exhibited a sculpture, "The Birth of Death", in the 1959 show, "Images of Man" at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, among other notable artists as Karel Appel
Karel Appel
Christiaan Karel Appel was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s...
, Leon Golub
Leon Golub
Leon Golub was an American painter. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he also studied, receiving his BA at the University of Chicago in 1942, his BFA and MFA at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1949 and 1950, respectively.He was married to and collaborated with the artist Nancy Spero...
, and Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti
Alberto Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draughtsman, and printmaker.Alberto Giacometti was born in the canton Graubünden's southerly alpine valley Val Bregaglia and came from an artistic background; his father, Giovanni, was a well-known post-Impressionist painter...
.
However, at this time he also became "confused", as he put it, and his bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
manifested. Unable to keep up a steady pace of work, he nevertheless taught sculpture at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
and exhibited with the Chicago Imagists
Chicago Imagists
The Chicago Imagists is the name of a group of representational artists associated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago who exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center in the late 1960s. Their work was known for grotesquerie, surrealism and complete uninvolvement with New York art world trends...
at the Hyde Park Art Center
Hyde Park Art Center
The Hyde Park Art Center is a visual arts organization and the oldest alternative exhibition space in the city of Chicago. Since 2006, HPAC has been located just north of Hyde Park Boulevard, at 5020 S.Cornell Avenue, in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.-Beginnings:The Hyde Park Art...
.
Campoli was given a major career retrospective at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a contemporary art museum near Water Tower Place in downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The museum, which was established in 1967, is one of the world's largest contemporary art venues...
in 1971.
He was popular in his home neighborhood of Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Chicago
Hyde Park, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States and seven miles south of the Chicago Loop, is a Chicago neighborhood and one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science...
, even having a dish, "Pasta Campoli" named after him at a local Thai restaurant. His bronze sculpture, "Bird of Peace", can be seen near the Murray School in Nichols Park in Hyde Park.
Biography
Campoli grew up on an IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
farm near the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
border and was from an early age what would later be called an "action" sculptor, literally infusing energy and life into each piece, mainly in clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
at an early age. After art schooling he taught at the Institute of Design at ITT Illinois Institute of Technology where he influenced many subsequent artists. His interest was in organic, nurturing, rounded "yen" forms, particularly portraying the spirit of birds, other animals, eggs largely in bronze, clay or stone, or else multi-material objects such as abstracted birdbaths. Most of his extant works are in private collections. His work was at the Alan Frumkin Galleries, though. Although there was some recognition of his work in retrospective survey at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, Cosmo is one of a great many superior modern artists who have fallen between the art-critical cracks and been largely forgotten.
Cosmo the Teacher
John M. Grzywacz said this about Campoli: "He was a really remarkable man if you were open to a vital life. I took a class with him at the ID in 1955... I remember a project we were to make something sculptural out of found materials... I went searching the streets and came back with pocketfulls of broken glass. I melted the glass in a ladle with an acetalyn torch... after much experimentation I managed to salvage a piece after improvising a cooling system... still the piece was in the ladle... Cosmo looked into my little set up often... In frustration I tried to tap the sculpture out of the ladle. Unfortunately it broke... Cosmo didn't say anything until I got into the class room for the crit... he explained to the class what a dummy I was... not accepting the ladle as part of the piece. It was an important lesson for an 18 year old. I also remember his edible sculpture process which I discovered when I visited the school in 1972."A. Beardsley said this about Campoli "Cosmo was always the teacher despite how young you were. When I was a child in the late 1970's I would go to Cosmo's house and he would give me glitter,glue,paint,and other interesting objects to adorn his front yard. As a child I felt it was a magical place, and his involvement in my life lead me to the arts. He was always the teacher!"