Richard MacDonald (American, b. 1946), Rosin Box

1992, bronze with applied patina, edition numbered "155/175" and signed to the terrace, with additional etched signature to the tiered polished sienna stone base. Together with a felt tote from the artist's studio.

18 1/4 x 12 x 6 in.

Private Collection, Chapel Hill and Greensboro, North Carolina

The Rosin Box draws on the artist's highly developed sensitivity for the experience of the dancer, and displays all the quiet beauty of a private moment of reflection. In The Rosin Box, the act of preparation is central to the concept of dance that MacDonald seeks to portray: the dancer prepares her shoe by gently pushing the toe into small “rocks” of rosin. This act of preparation is essential to the performance, but an act that the audience world rarely sees. MacDonald carefully models the piece to further convey the essence of story: the ballet dancer tugs at the strap of her leotard thus creating a sense of action and therefore transforming the sculpture into a vignette of life as a ballet dancer.

Born in Pasadena, California, MacDonald graduated from Art Center College where he was classically trained. He then became a self-taught sculptor and spent the last 50 years reviving the lost art of figurative sculpture through innovation, passion, and intense commitment. An illustrious career with many awards, honors, and public monuments has resulted in an extensive body of unique works in bronze, including a monumental 26-foot-tall bronze, Flair Across America, that was installed in Centennial Park, Atlanta for the 1996 Olympic Games. Now based in his Monterey studio, MacDonald has established himself as one of the leading figures in contemporary sculpture. He has his own foundry where he has control over the quality of his sculpture and is represented by Dawson Cole Fine Art.

Good estate condition; felt tote with staining.