Robert M. Place
Encyclopedia
Robert M. Place is an artist and author known for his work on tarot history, symbolism, and divination
.
Christmas tree, in, The New York State Museum
, The Delaware Art Museum
, and The Irish American Heritage Museum. Place’s jewelry has been exhibited in The American Craft Museum, The Philadelphia Museum of Art
, The Montclair Art Museum
, The Summit Art Center, the International Wilhelm Muller Competition, (which toured Museums in Germany), Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
, England, and in numerous galleries in the United States Ireland, Britain, and Japan. Place was awarded a 1984-85 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship and the Niche Magazine Award for outstanding achievement in metal sculpture in 1990 and in 1991.
,which leads to the creation of the philosopher’s stone and the allegory in the tarot’s trumps.
In his other decks, The Angels Tarot, The Tarot of the Saints, and The Buddha Tarot, Place has explored the connection between religion, mysticism
and the tarot’s symbolism.
In his fifth book, The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, his first book published not in connection with a tarot deck, Place contributes to the field of tarot history by discussing the images in the tarot in relation to the iconography of the 15th century Italian Renaissance
, the era when the tarot was created. Place relates each image in the tarot to similar images created at the that time and presents a theory of interpretation that is rooted in the art and philosophy of the time. The book also discusses contrasting occult theories and champions Pamela Colman Smith
as the primary designer of the Waite-Smith Tarot
.
The Tarotpedia says that The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination “is bound to find a place amongst the most important works published this decade.”
"Booklist
", the publication of the American Library Association
, says that The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination “may be the best book ever written on that deck of cards decorated with mysterious images called the tarot.”
Robert Place has been a frequent lecturer on and teacher of Western mysticism and the history and use of the tarot. He has taught at the World Tarot Congress, in Chicago; The Southeast Tarot Congress, in Florida; the New York Reader's Studio; The Third International Conference of the Association for Esoteric Studies, in Charleston; The Omega Institute, in New York; The New York Theosophical Society; The Museo Dei Tarocchi, in Riola, Italy; and has held an annual course at the New York Open Center, since 1996. Segments of his lectures have appeared on the Learning Channel, Discovery
, and A&E
.
In July, 2007, Place had the honor of cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of the Museo dei Tarocchi, in Riola, Italy. Place was also the curator of an exhibition on the art and history of the Tarot which was held at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum
, from January 23, 2010, to May 9, 2010. and is the subject of his book, The Fool's Journey: the History, Art, & Symbolism of the Tarot.
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
.
Work as an Artist
Place has worked since the 1970s as a sculptor, jeweler and illustrator. His sculpture has been exhibited on the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Christmas tree, in, The New York State Museum
New York State Museum
The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...
, The Delaware Art Museum
Delaware Art Museum
The Delaware Art Museum is an art museum located on the Kentmere Parkway in Wilmington, Delaware, which holds a collection of more than 12,000 works. The museum, was founded in 1912 as the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts in honor of the artist Howard Pyle and is now celebrating its centennial...
, and The Irish American Heritage Museum. Place’s jewelry has been exhibited in The American Craft Museum, The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
, The Montclair Art Museum
Montclair Art Museum
The Montclair Art Museum is located in Montclair, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States.-Collection:The Montclair Art Museum is one of the few museums in the United States devoted to American art and Native American art forms. The collection consists of more than 12,000 works...
, The Summit Art Center, the International Wilhelm Muller Competition, (which toured Museums in Germany), Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
The Birmingham Institute of Art and Design is the largest British university art and design teaching and research centre outside London. It is a faculty of Birmingham City University and the largest, most successful department of the university.-History:BIAD dates back, in various incarnations, to...
, England, and in numerous galleries in the United States Ireland, Britain, and Japan. Place was awarded a 1984-85 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Fellowship and the Niche Magazine Award for outstanding achievement in metal sculpture in 1990 and in 1991.
Work as Tarot Designer and Author
In the 1990s, Place turned his attention as an illustrator to the creation of tarot decks and began his career as an author. Place is best known as the creator of The Alchemical Tarot, his first deck and book combination, which is illustrated in the style of 17th century alchemical engravings and presents a parallel between the “great work” of alchemyAlchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
,which leads to the creation of the philosopher’s stone and the allegory in the tarot’s trumps.
In his other decks, The Angels Tarot, The Tarot of the Saints, and The Buddha Tarot, Place has explored the connection between religion, mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
and the tarot’s symbolism.
In his fifth book, The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, his first book published not in connection with a tarot deck, Place contributes to the field of tarot history by discussing the images in the tarot in relation to the iconography of the 15th century Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
, the era when the tarot was created. Place relates each image in the tarot to similar images created at the that time and presents a theory of interpretation that is rooted in the art and philosophy of the time. The book also discusses contrasting occult theories and champions Pamela Colman Smith
Pamela Colman Smith
Pamela Colman Smith , also nicknamed Pixie, was an artist, illustrator, and writer. She is best known for designing the Waite-Smith deck of divinatory tarot cards for Arthur Edward Waite.-Biography:Smith was born in Pimlico, Middlesex , England the only child of an...
as the primary designer of the Waite-Smith Tarot
Rider-Waite tarot deck
The Rider-Waite tarot deck is the most popular Tarot deck in use today in the English-speaking world . Other suggested names for this include the Rider-Waite-Smith, Waite-Smith, Waite-Colman Smith or simply the Rider deck...
.
The Tarotpedia says that The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination “is bound to find a place amongst the most important works published this decade.”
"Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
", the publication of the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
, says that The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination “may be the best book ever written on that deck of cards decorated with mysterious images called the tarot.”
Robert Place has been a frequent lecturer on and teacher of Western mysticism and the history and use of the tarot. He has taught at the World Tarot Congress, in Chicago; The Southeast Tarot Congress, in Florida; the New York Reader's Studio; The Third International Conference of the Association for Esoteric Studies, in Charleston; The Omega Institute, in New York; The New York Theosophical Society; The Museo Dei Tarocchi, in Riola, Italy; and has held an annual course at the New York Open Center, since 1996. Segments of his lectures have appeared on the Learning Channel, Discovery
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, and A&E
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
.
In July, 2007, Place had the honor of cutting the ribbon at the grand opening of the Museo dei Tarocchi, in Riola, Italy. Place was also the curator of an exhibition on the art and history of the Tarot which was held at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum
Craft and Folk Art Museum
The Craft and Folk Art Museum , founded as the popular omelette café The Egg and The Eye, has been an energetic hub of global culture and progressive thought in Los Angeles, California since 1965.-Overview:...
, from January 23, 2010, to May 9, 2010. and is the subject of his book, The Fool's Journey: the History, Art, & Symbolism of the Tarot.
Tarot Decks by Place
- Facsimile Italian Renaissance Woodcut Tarcchi"
- The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, (work in progress)
- The Annotated Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, [ISBN 9781935194026]
- The Vampire Tarot, [ISBN 9780312361624]
- The Buddha Tarot, [ISBN 0738704415]
- The Tarot of the Saints, [ISBN 1567185274]
- The Angels Tarot
- The Alchemical Tarot: Renewed, [ISBN 9780977643417]
- The Alchemical Tarot: Art Edition
- The Alchemical Tarot, [ISBN 1855383012]
Books by Place
- Alchemy and the Tarot, (work in progress)
- The Fool's Journey: the History, Art, & Symbolism of the Tarot, 2010, [ISBN 9780557533503]
- Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena Series: Magic and Alchemy, 2009, [ISBN 978-0-7910-9390-0]
- The Vampire Tarot, 2009, [ISBN 0312361629] [ISBN 9780312361624]
- Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena Series: Shamanism, 2008, [ISBN 0791093964] [ISBN 9780791093962]
- Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena Series: Astrology and Divination, 2008, [ISBN 9780791093856]
- The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, 2005, [ISBN 1585423491]
- The Buddha Tarot Companion: A Mandala of Cards, 2004, [ISBN 1567185290]
- A Gnostic Book of Saints, 2001, [ISBN 0738701165]
- The Angels Tarot, coauthored with Rosemary Ellen Guiley, 1995, [ISBN 0062511939]
- The Alchemical Tarot, coauthored with Rosemary Ellen Guiley, 1995, [ISBN 1855383012]
External links
- Robert M. Place at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum
- The Alchemical Tarot website
- Review of The Alchemical Tarot
- Robert M. Place's website The Alchemical Egg
- Robert M. Place's workshop at The Museo dei Tarocchi - Italy
- The Buddha Tarot Companion at Google Book Search
- The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination at Google Book Search