David Pryor Adickes | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Known for | Sculpture |
Notable work | A Tribute to Courage |
David Pryor Adickes (/ˈædɪks/ AD-iks;[1] born January 19, 1927, Huntsville, Texas) is a modernist sculptor and painter.[2] His most famous work is the 67-foot tall A Tribute to Courage statue of Sam Houston in Huntsville, Texas.[3]
Adickes was born in Huntsville, Texas on January 19, 1927.[4]
In 1949, Adickes travelled to France to study under Fernand Léger. After two years, he returned to Texas and began presenting his work.[5] In 1955, Adickes was commissioned to paint a large historical mural of the city for the then-new Houston Club. That fall, he was hired to teach in the Art Department of the University of Texas at Austin.[6][5]
In 1983, after being a fulltime painter and art instructor for more than two decades, Adickes was commissioned to make his first monumental sculpture. He created the Virtuoso, a 36-foot steel and concrete statue of a string trio. It is displayed in Houston.[7] In 1986, he created Cornet as a stage prop for the New Orleans World Fair.[8] In 1994, he created A Tribute to Courage in memory of Houston's namesake, Sam Houston. In 2004, he created 43 large busts of American presidents at Presidents Park, Virginia.[9] In 2006, he erected 60-foot statue of Stephen F. Austin in Brazoria County, Texas.[10] In 2012, he turned his old high school in Huntsville into the Adickes Art Foundation Museum.[11]