Limited Edition Western Bronze Sculpture, “Life in the Balance”, by Lincoln Fox (1942-), 2/20 #1254

Limited edition Western Bronze Sculpture, “Life in the Balance”, by Lincoln Fox (1942-), 2/20 #1254

Description: #1254 Limited Edition Western Bronze Sculpture, “Life in the Balance”, by Lincoln Fox (1942-), cowboy and Native American in a knife fight Bronze with dark brown patina on wood base. Signed in the base with copyright symbol and numbered: Lincoln Fox / 2/20; further incised with three diamonds; titled on base plaque

Condition: he wooden base: .875″ H. Overall good condition with minor dust accumulation commensurate with age. Scattered scuffs and scratches to wooden base.

Dimensions: 7″ H x 7″ W x 6.5″ D

I asked Lincoln about this piece and he tells me that “Life in the Balance” was the first piece he created after moving from primarily abstract sculpture to figurative. Because he became partners with Tom Hicks in the creation of Shidoni Bronze foundry near Santa Fe, NM. The piece was created around 1973 and became very pivotal in this major transition in my art.

Biography from the Archives of askART: A sculptor in traditional style of Indian figures, Lincoln Fox combines his interest in Indian culture with his belief in the sacredness of the spirits of human beings. His subjects include Shaman with Bear skull Headdress, Shaman with Owl, Bird Vision, and Hopi Snake Priest. One of his largest pieces is The Dream of Flight, 14-feet long and cantilevered 30 degrees so that it appears to fly above the ground at the Albuquerque, New Mexico Airport.

Fox was born in Morrilton, Arkansas, and settled in 1971 in Alto, New Mexico. As a youngster, he was disinterested in school, but did well once he began studying art in college. He focused on studying works of famous sculptors that he admired.

In 1966, he earned a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin, studying with Charles Umlaf. He then studied with Heri Barscht at the University of Dallas, earning an MA degree, and in 1968, he received an MFA from the University of Kansas at Lawrence, where Elden Teftt was his teacher.

He found that once he added an element of distortion to the figures he depicted that he had arrived at the method and style most satisfactory to him. “Exaggeration and distortion make the art exciting. After that discovery, I had twice as much fun. I let things happen”. (Samuels 192).

Biography from The Adobe Fine Art: After living in New Mexico for over twenty years, Lincoln and his wife, Rachelle, moved to the Western Slope of Colorado in 1990. Orchards, vineyards and ranches surround his studio, in a valley of snow-capped mountains. The area’s beauty and tranquility provide inspiration for his creativity.

Lincoln holds two master’s degrees, and continues private studies in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Mid-East, and Africa.

He has been honored with one-man shows at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., the Kennedy Galleries in New York City, and many museums and galleries across the nation. Lincoln has been a member of the National Sculpture Society in New York since 1982.

Some of his sculpture commissions include a 17′ piece for the Albuquerque International Airport; an 18′ piece for the Fine Arts Museum of Albuquerque; a 23′ piece for a university in Texas; and a 14′ piece near Montgomery, Alabama, dedicated by President George Bush.

The Global Family Tree of Life, sanctioned by the United Nations (U.N.E.P.), is four stories tall. The Japanese prefecture of Aishi commissioned a 32-foot study, cast in metal-reinforced F.R.P. to be shown at their International Park Festival, held in Nagoya, Japan.

Lincoln’s powerful modeling reveals the “breath of life” in his work.

Sources include:
Who’s Who in American Art, 2003-2004
Peggy and Harold Samuels, Contemporary Western Artists
Donald Martin Reynolds, Masters of American Sculpture