David Von Schlegell was an American abstract artist and sculptor.

Biography

David Von Schlegell was born in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

 in 1920, the son of American impressionist artist William von Schlegell. He studied at the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 in the 1940s, and then entered the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

. He made his return to art when he joined the Art Students League in New York. In the early 1960s, David von Schlegell built his own sculpture studio in Ogunquit, Maine and later established himself as a prominent sculptor. From 1971 to 1990, von Schlegell was the head of the Yale School of Art

Yale School of Art

The Yale School of Art is one of twelve constituent schools of Yale University. It is a professional art school, granting only Masters of Fine Arts degrees to those completing studies in graphic design, painting/printmaking, photography, or sculpture....

 sculpture department. He died on October 5, 1992 in New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven, Connecticut

New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...

 at the age of 72.
Students of note include the artists Don Gummer, Roni Horn, Jessica Stockholder, Ann Hamilton, Matthew Barney, Sean Landers, Katsuhisa Sakai...

Sculptures

Inspired by his wartime experience as an aircraft engineer, he worked mostly with aluminum, steel, and wood. His indoor work was featured at many important exhibitions of the 1960s, and by the 70s he was a prominent public sculptor. His large scale works can be found in cities across America, including Untitled (L's)

Untitled (L's)

Untitled , a public sculpture by American artist David Von Schlegell, is located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture is located just north of Joseph Taylor Hall in a grassy courtyard adjacent to Michigan Street...

on IUPUI's campus.

Painting and drawings

In addition to sculpting, Von Schlegell also made paintings and drawings. After dedicating his Untitled (L's), he also had an exhibition in IUPUI's Lecture Hall and at the Herron School of Art displaying his photographs and drawings from the project.

Featured works

• Untitled (L's)
  Untitled (L's)
  Untitled , a public sculpture by American artist David Von Schlegell, is located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, which is near downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The sculpture is located just north of Joseph Taylor Hall in a grassy courtyard adjacent to Michigan Street...
  
  A site-specific installation on the campus of IUPUI.
• Marina, a polished metal sculpture currently on long-term loan from Miami-Dade Art in Public Places from the J. Patrick Lannan Foundation.
• Untitled Landscape, located in Boston, Massachusetts at India Wharf on the Boston waterfront.