Josef Twirbutt
Josef Twirbutt was born in Lithuania. He moved to Poland in 1945, where in 1957 he received his Master of Architecture Degree from the University in Gdansk along with an extensive background in visual arts. While living under socialistic government in Poland, he applied for a visa to study in Paris, France that same year. … In 1958 he moved to New York City where he practiced architecture and started creating his art in his own unique visual and conceptual vocabulary while sharing a studio with known Polish sculptor Jozef Stachura. He started creating his assemblages from discarded furniture found in New York’s streets and was attracted to the variety of wood, and its myriad of colors and textures, a fascination which continues to this day.
The found object in art is the use of functional object placed in an art context. Twirbutt continues tradition which began in the early century and includes such notable artists as Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Kurt Schwitters, Luise Nevelson, and Robert Raushenberg, among others, all of whom used found objects in their art. Using a table saw he cuts and assembles selected pieces of wood creating a wide variety of beautiful and complex forms, textures, and special relations. The visual rhythm within his work creates a visual musicality. Beginning in 1980, he added color and stain to his engaging and unique constructs adding another significant dimension to his dynamic art.
James Hillman, the noted Jungian analyst once said, We sin against the imagination whenever we ask an image for its meaning., requiring that images be translated into concepts… We do not hear music, touch sculpture, or read stories with meaning in mind, but for the sake of imagination. Josef Twirbutt assemblages appeal to our imagination.
He has exhibited his sculpture at numerous art galleries in the US, Mexico and Europe and his work is included in the private and public collections. In 1969, his work was included in the US State Department traveling exhibition ART FOR EMBASSIES thruoghout Europe and South America. Large-scale installations have included murals at New York City Police Headquarters, the Boston Rehabilitation Center, KODAK Computer Center in Rochester, and IBM Office Products Division Headquarters in Franklin Lakes, NJ. He is represented in the collections of Mexico City Museum of Modern Art, the D. White Museum of Art, The New York University Art Collection, and the Kosciuszko Foundation Art Collection.
He was awarded silver medal in 1970 and gold medal in 1972 by the International Academy of Arts and Science in Rome, Italy. He has lived and worked in Danville, CA since 2012.
Darwin Marable, PH D.
Art/photo historian, lecturer, writer.
Artist's Statement
Turning a scrap of wood that was destined to be buried or burned into challenging, unique and exciting objects of art is the language of my work. Wood offers an infinite array of grain, shape, color and texture that can be beautiful in its own right, providing boundless possibilities to explore and create. Amidst the chaos and rush of modern culture, nature is full of beauty and mystery, if only we can find a time, place and method to discover it.
I would like my work to spark a sense of connection with the natural world and those who view it.
“To see the world in a Grain of Sand
And Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour”.
William Blake
