John Van Alstine
“As in life where the act of “doing” is often more important than the destination, it is a notion that is at the core of the creative process where the act of making triumphs over the object or final product.”
‒ John Van Alstine
John Van Alstine’s (1952‒) indoor, outdoor, and site-specific sculptures are measured and calculated, yet simultaneously poetic; their swooping angular lines create expansive spaces beyond the limits of their steel and stone frames to unveil our collective history and imagination, illuminating a deft interplay of natural energies and the human experience.
Van Alstine weaves into his works elements of mythology, celestial navigation, implements, human figures, movement, urban forms, and found objects, while using motion, balance, and inertia to incorporate the eternal forces of gravity, tension, and erosion. In an essay on his drawings, Van Alstine details the critical role they play in the initiation and planning of his projects, offering the reader a firsthand perspective on the artist’s creative process.
Van Alstine’s works have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and are found in the permanent collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Art, and the Phillips Collection, to name but a few. His works are also found in numerous public and private collections.
