ROBERT HOLMES

ROBERT HOLMES Biography

Robert Holmes (b. 1927 – d. 2016) was instinctively talented as a young man in his teens, helping build and later design homes with his father. Holmes put himself through college and obtained a degree in Civil Engineering with additional architectural training from the University of Arizona -- disciplines that are evident in the structural elements of his technical prowess. In the early 1950s he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, and at a relatively young age started Robert Holmes Construction, Design, and Development company. He specialized in designing contemporary homes for select clients in the sparsely populated stretch along the peninsula. In 1958 he moved his business to back to Arizona, where he became one of the most successful custom luxury home builders in the burgeoning Phoenix area for three decades. He also designed and built banks, bridges, apartments, manufacturing plants, and churches, and during that same period, he slowly honed his craft in another field: sculpture.

Holmes sold his building business in 1981, and it was at that point he decided to pursue his sculpting passion exclusively. Robert and his wife Edith moved to The Sea Ranch, a community 2 hours north of San Francisco, and he began his second career as a sculptor with Edith as his partner and agent. Over the next several years, Holmes worked with a dozen foundries but was not satisfied with the overall experience. In 1989, he created his own bronze art foundry called Bronze Plus, in a town about an hour and a half from The Sea Ranch. This allowed him to control the means of production, thus ensuring quality for his galleries and personal clients. He oversaw in all aspects of production, and worked in close conjunction with all artisans of the art bronze foundry trade.

Holmes's sculptures have been exhibited over the past thirty-five years in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Uplifting emotions are a central theme in the work. Through the human form, Holmes conveys a Zen-like serenity, grace, optimism, and strength. Jayne McGuire, in her review of Holmes' work for The Del Mar Sculpture Garden in Del Mar, California, states: “Holmes's contemporary figurative work, especially his life-giving female figure, expresses a nurturing, universal quality which celebrates the joy of being, the joy of movement, and our basic human need for ‘connectedness’. A consistent vitality is present in all of Holmes's figures, evident in the graceful movement of his dancers and runners, and in the solitary stillness of his reclining and seated figures.”

The artist has had numerous one-man, group, and invitational shows. Many private and corporate collectors worldwide own and enjoy his art.

ROBERT HOLMES Statement

My work is my statement; I don't believe that words go very far in describing sculpture. I would rather let people see my work itself and interact with it in their own way.

ROBERT HOLMES Resumé

Selected Exhibitions
2015 "25th Anniversary," Sculpturesite Gallery, Glen Ellen, CA
2012 “On Site Monumental Public Bronze Competition,” top 5 international finalist, Raffels Resorts International, Istanbul, Turkey
2011 Orinda City Public Art Exhibit, Orinda, CA
2011 Honorable Mention – Sculpture, Cloverdale Public Art, Cloverdale, CA
2011 “Advent Software Summer Artists Series,” San Francisco, CA
2010 Mills Peninsula Hospital and Sutter Hospital Featured Artist Completion – Finalist, Burlingame, CA
2010 Honorable Mention – Sculpture, Cloverdale Public Art, Cloverdale, CA
2009 Union City Sports Center Sculpture Competition– Finalist, Union City, CA
2003 International Biennial of Contemporary Art – President’s Award (top prize), Florence, Italy
1999 Long Beach Museum, Juror: Terrence Rogers, Long Beach, CA
1998-1999 Retrospective, Curator: Richard Warren - Princeton University/Stanford University, Gualala Arts Center, Gualala, CA
1992 Long Beach Museum, Juror: Mariko Gamblin, Long Beach, CA
1988 to present, Gualala Art Center Annual Show, Gualala, CA

Selected Private and Corporate Collections
PepsiCo Corp - Tricom: Taco Bell, KFC, PepsiCo, Greenwich, CT
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA
International Exhibits Transport, Inc., Southampton, Long Island, NY
Television, Publishing, Bridgehampton, Long Island, NY
International Property Management, Santa Barbara, CA
Harvard Management Company, Inc., Boston, MA
Triton Corporation, Piedmont, CA
Heir, Grosse Point Farms, MI
E. Kodak Sterling Winthrop Research Complex, Philadelphia, PA
Arm and Hammer Corporation, Private Collection, CA
Astra Zeneca Pharmaceutical Corporate Office, CA
UBS Warburg and Paine Webber Collection, London, UK
Yageo Corporation, Taipei, Taiwan
Principal, Knight Ridder News Media, San Jose, CA
Info World - Editor and Chief, San Mateo, CA
Edward De Bartolo Corporation, Knoxville, TN
Hafen Building, Walnut Creek, CA
Kisco Retirement Communities, Del Mar, CA
Publix Corporation, Highland Park, IL
Scherer Foundation, Chicago, IL
Guggenheim Acquisition Committee - Private Collection, CA
Baker and McKenzie, California and Germany
Leissring Fine Art Collection, Santa Rosa, CA
Crystal Design Group LLC, Hong Kong
Philadelphia Design Group, Philadelphia, PA
Madison Street Square Development Group, Greater Vancouver, Canada
Palo Alto Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA
Honda Motors International Headquarters, Sydney, Australia
O’Rielly Industries, Private CEO Collection, Chicago, IL
Exxon Europe, Private CEO Collection, Spain
Charles Schwab, Private CEO Collection, San Francisco, CA
Sandra Timmons and Richard Sandstrom - Founder, Sr, VO and CTA CYMER, Inc., San Diego, CA
Clear Bridge Investment Group, Private CEO Collection, San Francisco, CA
Copelouzos Art Museum, Athens, Greece

Resort Collections and Exhibitions
Paradise Ridge Winery Annual Outdoor Exhibition, Santa Rosa, CA
Four Seasons Hotel, San Diego, CA
Stillheart Institute, Woodside, CA
MacArthur Place, Sonoma, CA
Skylanda Spa and Resort, Woodridge, CA
Hyatt Regency, San Diego, CA
Hotel Parisi, La Jolla, CA
The Sea Ranch Lodge, The Sea Ranch, CA
Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur, CA
Augerge du Soliel, Rutherford, CA

Selected Publications and Television
2012 Art in Architecture
2007 San Francisco Chronicle
2005 Santa Rosa Press Democrat
2005 Art and Antiques
2004 Worth
2003 The Travel Channel, 10 minute spot showcasing latest work
2002 Luxury Living
2000 Rosewood (Rosewood Hotels and Resorts)
2000 Robb Report, feature article
2000 Sedona Living
2000 Décor and Style
1999 Southwest Art
1998 Vision (Hyatt Hotel Corporation)
1990 Sculpture Magazine