Internationally acclaimed artist Richard Erdman makes the impossible occur on a routine basis: From the seemingly grounded to the truly ethereal, his sculptures express a vitality which transcends their temporality. The inspirations for his creations are multi-faceted and varied. They do, however, have a common thread evolving from the artist's own reverence for nature, which was crystallized during his early years in Vermont. An early apprenticeship with master stonecarvers in Carrara grew into a 35-year relationship with family-run studio SGF Scultura that continues to this day.

Erdman grew up in Dorset, VT at the foothills of the oldest marble quarries in the U.S., not surprisingly, these early experiences greatly influenced this sculptor’s life and work. He marveled at the cavernous shapes and formations of the quarries whose weather-beaten layers and textures unveiled the mystery of stone. He also engaged his passion of joyous physicality and risk-taking, leaping from high quarry walls to the water below challenged by new heights and dreams. These two elements - a love of the medium and an intimate relationship with nature’s raw energy and beauty, inform his work today.

Erdman’s marble and bronze sculptures are internationally celebrated for their provocative language of curves and contrast, their dialogue with timescales both geologic and human, and their gesture towards the transcendent power of natural phenomena. Richard’s adaptability and his intimate understanding of the materials with which he sculpts have led to the creation of a prolific body of work which encompasses intimate maquettes to massive monumental works. Known for his forward-thinking modern adaptations of marble and bronze sculptures in graceful, flowing designs, Richard Erdman’s massive marble sculptures weighing up to 50 tons defy gravity, bringing warmth and light to their resilient stone bodies.

And beyond the initial impact of the geometry, the color and texture of Erdman’s materials commands attention. To many people, marble may connote whiteness, coldness, and even death, as in the marble of a tomb effigy. But Erdman’s marbles are colorful—buttery yellow, pink, red, and dark grey as well as white—and they seem alive, as if the veins in the stone were actually vessels for some vital essence.

Erdman’s works allow a view of the present, and of ourselves in it, as we might be seen from the quarry’s wall—small figures alive on the edge of vast space and time. Culling stone from the mountain, drawing its sedimented history into long arcs, Erdman does not just show us the glimpse of past and future he saw as a child—earth’s memory locked in stone—he walks us to the edge of ourselves, and turns on the lights.

His work can be found in 140 museum, public, and private collections spanning six continents, and has been featured in 160 solo and group exhibitions worldwide. Notable collections include the United Nations, Museum of Fine Art Boston, Princeton University, The Rockefeller Collection, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens at PepsiCo.