September 14, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Exhibit at Allens Lane of the beloved Lieberman sculptures
by AMY MASTERMAN

Small torso and bust are two of the many sculptures by the much-admired and beloved art teacher at Allens Lane Art Center, Richard Lieberman. The exhibit will open this Friday and remain up until early November.

For nearly 50 years, sculptor Richard Lieberman could often be found in the downstairs studios of Allens Lane Art Center, surrounded by his works in progress and the work of his dedicated students. In August, at almost 94 years of age, Lieberman died. He worked up until the end, and the morning of his death called his protégé Girard Cerini to discuss some ideas he had for the younger student’s new sculpture series. When Cerini called him back, it was too late, and his ideas will never be known.

Allens Lane is honoring Lieberman’s long and prolific life with an exhibit that spans five decades and features the many styles and materials in which he worked. The opening reception for Richard Lieberman, sculptor (1912 – 2006) will be on Friday, September 15, from 6 to 9 p.m., with a short ceremony at 7:30 p.m. The exhibit will remain up in the gallery until renovations begin on the building, expected to be early November.

Lieberman was born in Kiev, Ukraine and at five years old moved with his family to Maryland where he first began carving animals out of limestone. Upon moving to Philadelphia, his father took him to the Fleisher Art Memorial where he first studied art, which he said in his artist statement, “opened a whole new world for me.” He received a B.F.A. from Columbia University and also studied at the PA Academy of Fine Arts, Tyler School of Art, and the National Academy in New York City. Lieberman taught at Fleisher for close to 50 years, while also teaching at Settlement Music School, Main Line Art Center, The Baum School (Moravian College in Allentown) and Abington Art Center. Soon after Allens Lane Art Center’s founding in 1953, Lieberman began teaching sculpture classes there and remained as an Artist in Residence until his death.

Richard Lieberman, sculptor (1912 – 2006) will feature work from all periods of the artist’s life, which reflect his fascination with and often mastery of a wide variety of materials including wood, stone, marble, bronze, resin, clay and plaster. He taught reverse casting for 30 years and experimented with linoleum glue and lost wax technique. The artist’s studio space at the Center will be part of the exhibit, with several works in progress, his own watercolors and drawing studies and personal memorabilia on view (for the opening reception only).

In an interview with a student who was updating his artist statement, Lieberman said, “Sculpture dictates to me. There is something strange about creating; with me it’s a mystery. For many years I have researched it, but there is so much I don’t know. I would like to know how African casting in bronze is paper thin and the figures are 20 feet tall? I must know more about my craft before I go to pasture.”

Lieberman’s sculpture has been exhibited in national and international shows and can be found in many private collections around the country. He was commissioned to do several pieces, including Unity for I.M. Pei, which sits in front of the architects hi-rise condominiums at 4th and Locust Streets in Philadelphia. He created Benjamin Franklin for a site in New York City, and a very large piece called Earth for the Emmaus Library near Allentown. According to his nephew, Lieberman’s most famous design is not credited to him. As he had told family and friends on many occasions, he was the designer for the Iwo Jima statue that sits today in Arlington, Virginia. Based on the famous photograph by Joe Rosenthal, Lieberman was forced to sign away the rights to the design because he was an immigrant.

Allens Lane’s gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and evenings and weekends by appointment. For more information and directions, go to www.allenslane.org or call 215-248-0546. Allens Lane Art Center is located at 601 West Allens Lane in West Mt. Airy.