Item: Acrylic, glass and steel sculpture, c. 1956

Designer/Maker: James Hubbell is well known for his sculptural home/compound in Julian and his parks, schools and other environments that bring art into the realm of everyday human experience. A reverence for nature remains the basis of James Hubbell’s singular career, one that seamlessly integrates art, craft and architecture. Hubbell studied sculpture at Cranbrook Academy of Art and often worked with labor-intensive, ancient techniques like wrought iron and stained glass in a contemporary architectural context.

During the 1960s and 70s Hubbell’s work was included in the prestigious series of California Design exhibitions at the Pasadena Art Museum and the Arts of Southern Californiaseries at the Long Beach Museum of Art, as well as at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts in New York. His forged iron work was featured in Craft Horizons magazine in the 1970 article “The Contemporary Blacksmith.” James Hubbell was also one of the artists profiled in the final California Design publication from 1977, Craftsman Lifestyle: The Gentle Revolution.

Description: Exhibited in 1956, this is a very early James Hubbell sculpture with broken bits of glass and pieces of steel rod cast in polyester resin. In addition to it’s classic midcentury modern shape and experimentation with materials, this work is further distinguished by having been exhibited at the Capri Theater and published in San Diego Magazine (August, 1956). Hubbell’s show in the lobby of the Capri Theater (now The Egyptian residential complex on Park Blvd.) was one of his very first solo exhibitions and was curated by James Britton. The distinctive shape of the sculpture can be seen on a shelf in an installation photo from the show included in the slide show images.

Dimensions: 2.75 x 3.25 x 12 inches high

Condition: Very good on original base

Price: $1500

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