ROBERT BIRBECK'S BIOGRAPHY

Robert Birbeck, born in West Palm Beach, Florida, attended the New England School of Art in Boston. He lived in Europe for a number of years before returning to America to reside in Woodstock, New York, then later in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and now in Wells, Vermont.

Originally known for his oil paintings of nudes, Mr. Birbeck started sculpting in Provincetown, translating his figurative oils into sensuous ceramic sculptures. He soon added wood and stone sculpture to his portfolio and now focuses on these media. Inspired by Primitive sculpture and early 20th century European sculpture Mr. Birbeck’s work has evolved into delicate recreations in stone. A recent article in Provincetown Magazine states “It is impossible to approach Mr. Birbeck’s sculpture without immediately raising a hand to touch the smooth and luminous surfaces of stone and wood. The wood, polished to a high satiny sheen, literally glows. The patterns in the grain articulate the voluminous curves of the body. This marriage between material and form, particularly the use of pattern in the wood grain, is often breathtaking.”

Mr. Birbeck has won numerous awards for his sculpture, including the prestigious Knickerbocker Artist Gold Medal of Honor for Exceptional Merit and most recently at the 171st Annual Exhibition of the National Academy of Design in New York he received the Certificate of Merit. This is America's oldest exhibition for painters, sculptors and architects, held annually since 1826. And for the second time he recently received the Leonard J. Meiselman Award for sculpture at the Allied Artists of America 86th annual exhibition in New York City. Besides these awards, Mr. Birbeck has also exhibited in many other major New York shows, as well as in several one-man exhibits throughout the United States and Europe.

Mr. Birbeck states that, "There is no message in my sculpture. They are objects of sensation, not philosophical statements or social commentaries. It is simply that the nude is to the artist what love is to the poet."

Awards Include:

Allied Artists of America, New York;
Leonard J. Meiselman Award, 1999
Leonard J. Meiselman Award, 1997
Maurice B. Hexter Award, 1992
Associate Member Award, 1990

Silvermine, New Canaan, Connecticut;
Amidar Memorial Award for Stone Sculpture, 1998

Knickerbocker Artists, New York;
Gold Medal of Honor for Exceptional Merit, 1991

Audubon Artists, New York;
The Cleo Hartwig Memorial Award, 1994
Vincent Glinsky Memorial Award, 1993

National Academy of Design, New York;
Certificate of Merit, 1996